Student Teaching - Week #4

by Victoria Johnston - Mitchell Elementary

Preparing the ice rink at Millennium Park

This weekend I checked an item off my “bucket list” by going ice skating in Millennium Park. I grew up around the ice and love to ice skate, but before today I had never skated outdoors. There was something thrilling about skating with the city skyline in the background, the Bean above me and a line of rotating spectators. My friend Cait and I spent $10 on skate rentals and tested our spatial senses by weaving through the crowds and chains of high school girls holding hands. We even witnessed a proposal in the middle of the ice that received many “awwws” and applause.

Progressive Dinner

A unique activity I also participated in was the Chicago Semester progressive dinner. About twelve apartments signed up to cook an appetizer, dinner or dessert and any student who wanted to partake meandered from room to room tasting a variety of foods from tacos to banana bread. It was a great opportunity to form relationships with people in the program I rarely see as well as see the sights of the Canterbury Court Apartments.

I have been in my student teaching placement almost a month now. The time has flown by and I have gotten to know my 36 fifth graders much better than I thought I could in that time. I finally feel like a teacher. While it is a learning curve to maintain classroom management in a group of 36 students, I am developing my own styles of teaching as well as quickly learning the dos and don’ts of teaching mathematics.

As a fundraiser for Valentine’s Day, the Mitchell student council is selling something called “lolligrams” that students can buy to send to friends or give to family. I received two from one boy in my class and another from one of the girls. I definitely feel the love from my students already. Seeing my students come to me with questions (even if I don’t always know the answer) before my cooperating teacher also is a small reminder I have been accepted as Miss Johnston, their teacher. With that title comes more responsibility, though. My comfort teaching math is just beginning but next week marks my first language arts lesson. Each week brings new surprises and challenges and I excitedly await what this new week will bring.

Student Teaching - Introduction

by Victoria Johnston - Mitchell Elementary

The city at night

Three weeks. That is how long I have lived in Chicago. In some ways it feels as though I have been here for months and in others my studio apartment seems like a hotel room. Adjusting to life in the city has been much different than I expected. I would consider myself a city girl by definition because I enjoy populated areas to rural areas, but Chicago is a whole new world to me. At home, in Tucson, AZ, I am within miles of almost anywhere I could ever want to go, but here I am within blocks.

Ghiradelli ice cream

The number of people in this city somehow still astounds me. I knew Chicago was large and visited prior, but residing in such a populated area is still a shock some days. I will say I enjoy having Ghirardelli Ice Cream about half a mile away and will proudly admit I have been there twice in three weeks. Part of my excitement for this semester is also the arts events I can attend this semester. This week there was some confusion with the meeting time, but next week I believe is a ballet. Beyond the weekly events I already paid for are opportunities to see almost every band I enjoy, the Blue Man Group, and go ice skating in Millennium Park. Ice skating was one of the first things to make the “Chicago Bucket List” but I have yet to go because of, what feels like, Arctic temperatures. Two weeks ago we had MLK Jr. day off and the Shedd Aquarium was free for residents. I was able to experience summer temperatures and visit sea/lake/river creatures of all kinds. It is amazing the variety of attractions a large city offers from paintings to dolphins.

Beluga whales at the Shedd Aquarium

 My main reason for choosing Chicago Semester is student teaching. I have completed the traditional classroom portion of my degree and now I have the opportunity to learn the art of teaching under another teacher. For this experience I have been placed in Ellen Mitchell Elementary on Chicago’s west side. This school is a writing and literature magnet school and is part of the Chicago Public School district, one of the largest in the nation. Despite its public school status, Mitchell is rather small. There is one classroom per grade level and ages range from Pre-K to 8^th grade. My fifth grade class has thirty-six students and they are now squirrelly because recess has been indoors for about two weeks. Despite their rambunctious attitudes recently, I am enjoying each student for their unique gifts and quirks. My favorite moment yet was earlier this week. One of the girls called a boy fickle and a third student shockingly asked, “Isn’t that a bad word?!”

Mitchell Elementary School

In the past three weeks my time in the classroom has been slightly limited because today was a professional development day, we had MLK Jr. Day off and my first Friday was spent at another PD seminar, but I already feel at home in Mitchell. My first math lesson has come and gone and I am learning just how many things I must consider before standing in front of my fifth graders to teach. I am excited to see what surprises come next in the classroom and on the streets. For now, though, I will sit contentedly knowing it is Friday night and my wake-up call tomorrow extends past 5:45 am.

End of Semester Thoughts #3

by Cynthia's Group

Bri, Emily, Cynthia, Keri, and Kevin

Kevin Cindric – University of Mount Union

Student Taught at Jamieson Elementary

Attending Chicago Semester was one of the best decisions I have ever made. At first I had doubts about not completing my student teaching in my college hometown and leaving to teach in an inner-city school. Thankfully I decided to come to Chicago because the experience was invaluable. Through the program I met tons of new friends. I had no problem adjusting to the life here in Chicago. In fact, I am planning on staying to find a job in the city. I wish the program was a whole year long instead of just 3 months! Time flew by.

Brianne Simmons – Judson University

Student Taught at Boone Elementary

I know that living in the city right now in my life is impossible for a couple reasons, but being able to live there for a semester was one of the coolest experiences I could have ever asked for. There were four things about Chicago semester I loved the most! First, they teach you how to use the transit system which I think alone would have been a great reason to come out here. Second, there are so many fun, crazy, and spontaneous events that anyone can do really any day of the week. One night my roommate and I just walked down a major street in the city for about an hour and a half and had a blast taking pictures. The third most enjoyable part about this experience would have to be all the people I met. Between my roommates, my new friends at the church I attended, the other student teachers, and my faculty and staff, I know I am walking away with many new life-long friends. Last, the school that I worked at was one of the most diverse, fun, loving, and best experiences I have ever had in my entire life. The school pushed me and taught me more about life outside of this country than any other experience I could have ever asked for. Overall, there were some ups and downs along the way, but I had a very enjoyable ride that if I could do it all over again I would in a heartbeat.

Emily Te Brink – Central College

Student Taught at Jamieson Elementary

The part about Chicago Semester that I enjoyed the most was the ability to meet new people and form relationships.  Meeting a group of people that all have similar interests provides an amazing social and learning environment.  The experiences I had outside of the program with fellow classmates and within the program with the staff and faculty are memories that will be cherished and cannot be replaced.

While student teaching, I have learned a great deal about myself.  The best thing I learned is that I can do this and I still enjoy teaching.  Many students get to this point in their journey and realize that it is not for them anymore.  I am pleased to say that I do not have those feelings.  I am not saying that it was a walk in the park by any means, but what fun is accomplishing something if there were not challenges to overcome?

Keri Forsythe – University of Mount Union               

Student Taught at Boone Elementary and Jamieson Elementary

Student teaching in Chicago Semester was one of the best decisions that I have ever made. I really enjoyed living in Chicago, I enjoyed all of the exciting things to do and see. I also really enjoyed teaching in an urban setting because it was different than any teaching experience I have had so far. Teaching in Chicago public schools was challenging, but the experience and knowledge that I gained made it truly worth it. I learned that I can do a lot more than I give myself credit for and I gained a lot of self-confidence.