Allyson Henes
Synthesis Essay
Ever since I was a little kid, I knew I wanted to be a teacher. On weekends I would play “school” with my friends and I always had to be the teacher. I would walk around my house with a clipboard pretending I was grading papers. I began babysitting at a young age so I also grew a fond affection with kids. Upon acceptance to Michigan State University, I instantly knew that I wanted to begin my career as a teacher. I spent the next 4 years learning, growing and experiencing life through classes at Michigan State. I spent four years on campus where I walked to classes at the College of Education building. I spent afternoons going to different internships and learning about different grades. I was able to soak my feet in first, second and third grade classrooms. Graduation was a bittersweet moment but I was also eager to begin life in the “real world.”
I was assigned my internship at an inner-city school in Detroit. I walked into my classroom with my head held high on the first day of school eager to meet the third graders. It took them awhile to warm up to me. In their minds they were probably thinking, “who is this lady?”, “is she old enough to be my teacher?” and “why is she here?” At the very beginning of the school year, I worked hard to establish a relationship with each student. We played the name game during the first week and the students took a liking to it! Throughout the year, I was very busy in school and outside the classroom. I was also taking four classes in the year that helped me to develop ideas as well as grow stronger as an educator. I took TE 801, TE 802, TE 803 and TE 804 in the course of the year. These classes had a focus on teaching Language Arts, Math, Social Studies and Science. Each week, I was able to bring stories and instances from the classroom into my classes. These courses helped to provide ideas and how to lesson plan accordingly. In connection with these classes, the help of my mentor teacher also guided me. She had been in the classroom for over 20 years so she had a lot of experience under her belt. I felt confident and comfortable working with her. In my internship year, I had to plan lessons as well as be the “lead teacher” for eight weeks. During that time, my mentor teacher and field instructor were able to provide feedback with lessons and tips for better success. Looking back, I grew a lot as an educator and as a person during my internship year. I was placed in an environment that I was unfamiliar with. My third grade classroom was located in the streets of Detroit where cars down the street were broken into on the second day of my internship. Most of the kids also received free to discounted breakfasts each morning. Even though there were times that I felt uncomfortable or out of place, I feel like these were the times that I grew the most. Some of the kids in my classroom came from broken homes or disrupted family life. I learned quickly that school was their escape. I worked hard to create bonds and establish relationships with each of my students so that they felt welcome at school. I wanted the classroom to be a place where they could learn, grow and create memories. I look back at my internship year with fond and happy memories. When my internship year ended, it was then the struggle to find a full-time job.
I remember the day like it was yesterday. It was June of 2012 and I had just gotten the call from my dream school about them wanting to hire me for first grade! The first person I called was my mom and we celebrated over ice cream at the local store down the street. After 5 years of classes and experiences, I was finally able to have my own classroom! For years, I had to share but now was my chance to prove myself as an educator, to my school and to my students. I was eager, excited and so looking forward to shopping for things for my classroom!
I thought of going back to school for my Masters as soon as I started my first grade teaching job. I had an experience with a student with special needs. I was unfamiliar of how to approach the situation. I spoke with my peers, his parents and others about the best ways to provide education for him to flourish in my classroom. I applied for the MAED program because I knew that I would become involved with more kids like him. Instead of running from the subject because of unawareness or nervousness, I wanted to explore and become more familiar with it. Special education is a subject that is becoming more common in the classroom. It is my job as educator to be filled with the best knowledge possible about this subject in order to help kids reach their potential. When I began my Masters class, I had only one year of experience under my belt. Everything around me was still fresh and new. I was still trying to get my feet wet and try different things in the classroom to see what worked. I started my Masters program with CEP 840. I was nervous in beginning this course because I was not sure of what to expect. This course was a great stepping-stone in allowing me to expand my horizons through my Masters class. In CEP, I was able to create my own personal website. I was unfamiliar of how to do this prior to this class. In the summer of 2013, I also became familiar with the legal aspects of having students with special needs. In applying for my Masters, I chose special education because it holds a special place to my heart. I also chose it because I was not familiar with a lot of ideas behind it. I thought choosing special education would provide me with many ideas, insights and thoughts of an unknown region. Throughout my first class, I learned my responsibilities as a teacher with students with special needs. I explored the ideas of assistive technology as well as differentiated instruction. I was unfamiliar with the idea of using technology in the classroom. Luckily my school provides a lot of resources for me to use technology to help my different learners. CEP 840 also provided lots of information through websites, books, videos and more. Inclusion was also discussed in this course which gave me a lot of insight. With the idea of inclusion, students are focused on doing “their best” instead of doing “the best”. It also models a sense of diversity while providing a sense of belonging. One thought that I took from this class and used instantly in my classroom is the idea of a wall of work. Students are able to pick their best work and display it in the classroom for all to see. This helps the students feel a sense of accomplishment and pride for their work. Response to intervention was also discussed in this course. This idea promises to offer education interventions when students begin to experience difficulties rather than wait for students to fail.
The following summer I was able to learn more about inclusion and was introduced to PBIS through the course CEP 841. This course reminded me of the idea of inclusion and also provided specific examples of how to implement this idea into not just a classroom but in the whole school. I feel like this course provided a lot of growth for me. Focusing a lot on PBIS, I learned how beneficial it can be if brought into the school. I like that PBIS is a positive approach to developing behaviors and consequences in the classroom. Instead of telling students what not to do, preferred behaviors are stated. Consistency and a school wide support are key appoints into making PBIS successful and long lasting.
During the spring of 2015, I enrolled in CEP 842. This course focused on students with challenging behaviors. At the beginning of the class, we were to choose one student to pick as our case study for our final project. Throughout the course, I used my student and worked one-on-one with him for his intervention. There was a lot of reading material and videos available for me to use as a referral. In completing an intervention on my student, I learned how much control I have in the classroom. Also I learned about how little changes can result to big changes for certain learners. Jack was a visual learner. He liked to know what we were doing and when we were doing it. This caused him to shout out a lot in the classroom. By creating a visual calendar on his desk, it allowed Jack to look without shouting out. Towards the end of this class, Jack went from being my problem child to one of my favorite children in the classroom. In this class, I learned the importance of parent involvement. Parents are a key component to establishing a healthy relationship between the child. Also, having the support of parents can make the teachers job easier knowing that all responsibility does not lie on their shoulders. When I first discussed the idea of an intervention with Jack, I spoke with his parents to get their approval and support. We also picked times throughout the weeks to talk about his progress and ways they could help out at home. I think my intervention was so successful due to their support, commitment and help.
In May, I began my last course of the MAED program. ED 870 was the beginning of the ending. This course has given me the opportunity to look back, reflect and remember how much I have grown. What I enjoy about this program is the fact that it provides so much information and ideas. The assignments allow us to use the given information and take it back to the classroom for trial and error. I have had the opportunity to reflect on past projects. This class has also allowed me to see how far I have come since the summer of 2013.
Looking back at my MAED program, I am able to smile and remember a lot of great memories. There were times when I felt like giving up, times when I waited too long to start an assignment and times were I was completely stressed. It was a lot to add onto my plate on top of teaching first grade. I can honestly say that I have grown as an educator over the last few years. I am not the same person I was when I began my Masters program. I am more confident, understanding and full of greater ideas then when I first started teaching. Each day I strive to be the best educator I can be for my students. I learn from my mistakes and gain knowledge through my staff and students. I look forward to the future and the endless opportunities that lie ahead. Will I continue teaching first grade or will I look for a position that focuses mostly on special education? The future is unknown but one thing is for sure. I feel confident to handle any obstacles that lie ahead due to the foundation of the MAED program.
