My Field Experience
For my Field Experience I went to Marshall Elementary School located in Orangeburg, South Carolina. The school is surrounded by what seems to be a middle class neighborhood. Marshall Elementary is a nice, clean school inside and outside. The only thing that needs to be remodeled is the restrooms that the children use, located by the gym and the recess areas. Also the playground has sand instead of the softwoodchips. When the children are playing they fall down in the sand and the sand gets all over them, in their eyes, hair and on their clothes. When observing the children’s recess time I have even witnessed some children throwing the sand at each other. The sitting where the teachers and some of the children sit on could be replaced also. The benches are old and not stable.
While I was at Marshall Elementary I worked with Mrs. Alamgir's 1st grade class. There are twenty-two students in her class. Mrs. Alamgir has the desk arranged in groups of fives with two students desk off from the rest of the children because of the two students behavior problems, each group has its own animal symbol. For example the owl group, the beatuiful group, the bee group, and the fish group. All of the desks are also arranged so the every student in the class can see the board with no problem. Located near the board is Mrs. Alamgir’s desk. The class is a smart classroom meaning there is a smart board inside the classroom. There is a restroom located inside the classroom. The students have a hand washing station near the reading table. In the back of the classroom there is a round small table where the homework basket sits on. There are also educational games that the children can play. In the back corner of the classroom next to the children’s cubbies there are three computers that the children can use when it is time for them to go to centers. The children can work on math, reading, science, or social studies on the computers. Being at Marshall Elementary School in Mrs. Alamgir’s class I observed that the children are learning a second language. Which is Spanish; there is a lady that comes into the classroom once a week and helps the children learn the language. They recite vocabulary words in Spanish and even watch mini cartoon video clips with the characters speaking Spanish. Mrs. Alamgir went on maturity leave which I was in the process of my field experience hours. Now there is a long term substitute teaching the class until school is out for the summer. The long term substitute’s name is Ms. Manigaul. She is very nice and really handles the students in her class well. The students also felt comfortable with her as if she is Mrs. Alamgir. I also went to lunch with the class. When I was in the classroom I passed out the students assignments to them. I walked around the classroom and assisted the children if they needed help with their classwork assignments. Igraded spelling test and some other assignments that the student did. Also I placed their homework and behavior sheets in the students take home folder.
Marshall Elementary School was a great place for me to receive my field experience hours from. Both of the teachers that i worked with were extremely nice and helpful to me as well as I was to them. The children and I grew a bond together. They warmed up to me very fast, and it seemed like they enjoyed when I came into the classroom, and I enjoyed helping out. If I have to complete more field experience hours in another education class that I take here at Claflin University I would like to go back to Marshall Elementary.