Blog Entry #8

     To be honest, I was very hesitant with going into teaching. It is scary thinking you are in charge of so many kids' education. I was also nervous about how Utah is treating its teachers. In the end, the service learning really helped be decide that this is what I want to do.

    My cooperating teacher, Mrs. Hill, was absolutely amazing. The way she can control the room and connect with every student was so cool to watch. It made me realize that once you earn their respect, the children make the job worth it. I was also leaning more towards the younger grades like 1st-3rd grade, and I had the chance to do some reading groups with the 3rd graders. They were really fun to hang out with. With the 6th graders though, it was easier to connect with and takes less time to get focused. 

    I think that doing Service Learning is very beneficial to people who think they want to teach. Being able to sit in a classroom and just observe for the day is nice. But when you have multiple days to connect and eventually start helping out with the little things, you can get that much more understanding and knowledge.  

    I am going to continue my path with teaching and I'm taking a children's literature next semester while I am finishing up my generals. After that I will be fully submerged into just classes about Elementary Education. I am hoping to moving to Oregon, so I will get my teaching license all set there and will do that until the end.