Mary Anderson

EDUG 858 Fall 2014

Prof. Russo, Dr. Kosky
Final Growth Student Teaching
Before beginning the semester and receiving my student teaching placement, I
was hoping to be placed in John Cardinal OConnor, as I was looking for a self-contained
class and/or a Special Education school. Having been to John Cardinal OConnor School
for observations, I was familiar with the school, their mission to support students who
learn differently, and the warm classroom and school environment. Upon hearing the
news, I was very excited and enthusiastic about beginning the semester.
Throughout my semester at John Cardinal OConnor School (JCOS), I believe
that I have been able to put every skill and tool taught in the graduate program to use,
from incorporating appropriate accommodations and modification to behavior
management strategies. Not only was this semester a chance to practice skills and
techniques, it was a learning experience. The members of the JCOS community were
very welcoming and open about the ins and outs of the school and Special Education. I
had the invaluable opportunity to be apart of both curriculum and behavior meetings
weekly. Despite that many curriculum meetings were regarding teacher paperwork, such
as report cards and IOWA Assessment scores, it was highly beneficial to experience these
meetings to gain insight into another role of a teacher. Other curriculum meetings were
regarding the various programs used in school, such as Hochman Writing, Learning AZs RAZkids and Headsprout, and Mathletics, and how to have students utilize them
inside and outside of the classroom. Behavior meetings gave the teachers a chance to
reflect on certain students behaviors and to discuss strategies for mediation and
management. These meetings were actually the most beneficial, as I was able to

participate in discussing the behaviors of students in my class. I was able to listen and
contribute to conversations about strategies and on-going behaviors. I believe that these
meetings have greatly benefited me as a future teacher as I have had the chance to listen
and learn from many teachers and the principal. These meetings have helped me come to
the realization that teaching, and even student teaching, are not just about being in the
classroom teaching, but that it is also about managing and data.
From the very first day of the semester, I felt that I was able to build healthy
student-teacher relationships with my students. Because of the time that I spent in the
classroom before the permanent fourth grade teacher was hired, I felt that I was able to be
a steady influence in the classroom for the students. The students really looked at me as a
teacher, not just an assistant in the classroom. This was most beneficial when it came
time for me to deliver lessons. From this experience, I truly feel as though I know my
students. I know how they think and what they will be able to accomplish in a given
lesson. For example when designing a lessons for my class, my first few lessons were
very ambitious and often took much longer than expected; however, now I find my
lessons to be much more appropriate in the level of challenge they provide each group.
When beginning this experience, the thought of being in a classroom with
students who each have a learning disability did not worry me. I find that I have the
patience and ability to sit with students, especially one-to-one, to further explore and reteach topics. I found that much of my teaching and the strategies I used to make the
lessons comprehensible and memorable were not ones that I included in my lesson plan,
but spontaneous ones that came to mind while assessing the students learning and

understanding on the spot. For example, the most memorable lesson for me was relating
the distributive property of multiplication to a party and party invitations.
This semester has given me the opportunity to grow into a Special Education
teacher by giving me the exposure to many students with very different learning needs.
This semester has given me the opportunity to explore different techniques and programs
that work for students who learn differently. My greatest accomplishment this semester in
regards to my students was assessing two students in my fourth grade class for reading.
After the assessments, I was able to be a facilitator in the process of integrating them into
the second and third grade reading groups that use the PAF (Preventing Academic
Failure) program. I was then a mediator between the classes and was able to help guide
one of the groups through the program. Being in a school that educates and services
strictly Special Education students has helped me focus on students with special needs
and their special needs. I have been able to explore and focus all of my attention towards
direct instruction and other practices geared towards my students; thus, giving me the
chance to truly study Special Education.
When reflecting on this student teaching experience compared to my previous
undergraduate student teaching experience, I realized that it was like rereading a book or
watching a movie for a second time. You may enjoy it the first time and have taken
something from it, but you always catch more the second time. The second time is as
much of a learning experience as the first. However you enter it equipped with all of the
prior knowledge and experience from the first time to continue to grow from.