Insights

My 4th grade class for my block 4 internship was a very special and amazing group of kids. I had two ELL students who were Spanish speakers. I had other students who were fluent in both languages. The majority of students in my class had a documented learning or physical disability (including the ELL's) and were reading at a second grade level. I learned so much from these kids.

First, I learned I could NOT get their attention to my lessons unless it was engaging, group work, involved technology or involved asking questions. I learned this very quickly and actually used my group ESOL strategy quite a bit because all of the students in my class enjoyed and learned better when I incorporated it. The best lesson I did was a unit on mollusks. I used all kinds of technology such as movies, power points, and visuals. The students seemed to really enjoy seeing what they were learning about. I even got different kids of shells for them to classify. The students were classifying them and even telling why they thought it was what they said. We went to the shell museum as a field trip and I was so impressed with my students answering the questions from the tour guides and even from other students! They learned so much by doing engaging things rather than traditional paper, pencil, lecture and notes. The ESOL strategies I used helped the other students learn as well.

Next, I learned something that a lot of people seem to not know. My students were low leveled, and there were ELL students in the classroom; but that never stopped them from learning. No one should be fooled by their AR level, SES, or language barriers. They always express interest in learning and love to participate in the lessons. I have had kids tell me that they want to learn, and I have had kids get made fun of because of their disabilities. The class always stuck together. One day at P.E, a girl from my class with Cerbral Palsy was getting made fun of for her drooling and the WHOLE class surrounded her and defended her against the child from the other class. That moment was when I realized that these kids are very ahead of their time. Where other kids are still making fun of others because of their disabilities, my students are over all of that and are able to accept everyone for who they are. I am so proud of these kids for pushing through their disabilities and giving 110%.