Whenever I take Education courses, my favorite part is the fieldwork. It always acts as a reminder as to why I am studying education, especially when my own schoolwork gets intense. I've had three other fieldwork experiences through the bi-co in the past, once at YouthBuild, once at the Samuel Gompers School, and once at FICA. I have also been able to find internships that allow me to teach these past two summers, but I still always get nervous before my first day at a new fieldwork placement. I think it is incredibly important to take fieldwork seriously. These schools, teachers, and students let us into their space to learn, and if we do not understand the responsibility we have to respect their learning environments, we are not respecting them. I learn the most at my placements by helping students our with their work, but there is always a twinge on anxiety I feel when I try to help, as I never want to overstep or misinform a student. One way I have eased this anxiety in the past is just by talking with whichever teacher I am working with that semester very open and honestly. I like to ask them about their entire teaching experiences, how this class compares, and how I can be helpful. Through this, I feel like I have formed some great relationships with the teachers I've worked with, and when those relationships eased my anxieties about being in the classroom, I was able to be more confident and connect with the students. I hope to do this again this semester, though I don't know where I'll be placed and if it'll be more observational or not.
Hi Finn! I really like the perspective you bring in this post, especially the first sentence. I have always loved being in classrooms but being able to study and reflect on a classroom environment is such a beneficial experience. When I have worked in educational settings in the past I do learn so much, but I feel like having a class to ground my experiences (in a classroom) really allows me to think more deeply. Your post also reminds me to push myself a little bit more to engage in discourse with my classroom teacher. I think in the past I have feared being annoying or bothersome, but reading your post reminds me that hearing others experiences is a great way to better understand education, especially in a unique environment with EMLLs.