Teaching Elementary 2017-2018
After completing my time at Pillars, I then moved on to teaching elementary art at Barrera Elementary. This was a huge change for me as I went from having about 20 students to teaching almost 800 young minds! Over the course of a week, I would teach PK-4th grade. Each day would be a different set of students for each class level, meaning I only actually taught each class once a week. Totaling up, that means 25 different classes over the course of the week! Crazy right?!
I think one of the most challenging parts about being the only art teacher there, and teaching on that schedule, was constantly having to switch my mindset. Unfortunately, my classes didn't come to me in order of grade level so I would be bouncing back and forth between the little ones and the older ones. Obviously, a student in pre-k is not on the same skill level as a student in fourth grade, so the lessons over the day would be very different. I had to learn a ton of structure and smart planning as quickly as possible to get the most out of our class time and make things run smoothly. While it was definitely intense at times, I do believe it helped me to become a better, and much more organized teacher.
Some definite highlights were my kids (I know. Easy answer), but I totally mean it! I think one of the best things about working in elementary is how open minded the students are and how easy it is to get them motivated! Not only did I teach the kids art, but on several occasions, I helped the other electives (P.E., Music, and Tech) to integrate lessons, assisted in the after school program, and tutored 10 students for the English STARR for three months. As I only saw most of them once a week, I had to work extra hard to get to know them. Since I had morning, lunch, and after school duty, I was able to use a lot of that time to have general conversations and create a set of reminders. Actively remembering 800 student names is no easy task, let alone individual details!! But, over time, I was able to do it!!
All in all, my experience at Barrera was well spent learning how to manage my time, create exciting and engaging lessons for several age groups, learning to adapt to new situations, and so much more. I really miss those kiddos and I am grateful to have had a chance to know them!
I think one of the most challenging parts about being the only art teacher there, and teaching on that schedule, was constantly having to switch my mindset. Unfortunately, my classes didn't come to me in order of grade level so I would be bouncing back and forth between the little ones and the older ones. Obviously, a student in pre-k is not on the same skill level as a student in fourth grade, so the lessons over the day would be very different. I had to learn a ton of structure and smart planning as quickly as possible to get the most out of our class time and make things run smoothly. While it was definitely intense at times, I do believe it helped me to become a better, and much more organized teacher.
Some definite highlights were my kids (I know. Easy answer), but I totally mean it! I think one of the best things about working in elementary is how open minded the students are and how easy it is to get them motivated! Not only did I teach the kids art, but on several occasions, I helped the other electives (P.E., Music, and Tech) to integrate lessons, assisted in the after school program, and tutored 10 students for the English STARR for three months. As I only saw most of them once a week, I had to work extra hard to get to know them. Since I had morning, lunch, and after school duty, I was able to use a lot of that time to have general conversations and create a set of reminders. Actively remembering 800 student names is no easy task, let alone individual details!! But, over time, I was able to do it!!
All in all, my experience at Barrera was well spent learning how to manage my time, create exciting and engaging lessons for several age groups, learning to adapt to new situations, and so much more. I really miss those kiddos and I am grateful to have had a chance to know them!