Getting familiar with my students

As the weeks in this semester progress I find myself getting more and more comfortable in the classroom. My PPP and I decided that my first 3-4 weeks in her classroom would be used to get to know the children in the classroom and familiarize myself with their skills as well as where they need more work. One way I was able to do this has come from a lot of talking with my PPP about the students. She showed me the IEPs of all 5 students and gave me a rundown of what each student's goals are.
I am also interacting with the students quite a bit to both gain knowledge of their skill levels, as well as just get to know them. For instance while during centers I will get on the floor and play with them. While playing I am also asking them questions such as: "What is this?" "How many are there?" "Can we count these?" "What color is this?", etc. In this classroom learning through play is the most important thing the students participate in. Through this method I am constantly learning about the students in this class, I've learned which students can identify colors and which colors. In one scenario I learned that our new student could not only draw a circle, but he could also identify and say "circle" this was a very big deal because it was previously unknown to us before hand. Watching the students play and discover has been so monumentally important to get to know my students.

Thoughts on my first two weeks

The first two weeks of my practicum experience have been exciting, fun, and exhausting to say the least. I was thrilled to find out I would be working at Hunters Green Elementary for a second time and even more thrilled when I found out that I would be working with a pre-k teacher. The class I am working in is small, The first day I started (Tuesday) only 2 of 4 students were present. It was not until the third day (Thursday) that we had a full class. In the days that we did not have a full class we combined with another pre-k classroom in order to have circle time and allow the children time with other students. I have spent these past two weeks mostly as an observer. I watch the students and their routines, watch how my PPP teaches, watch how to conduct circle time, and other transitions; there is a lot to take in. I am in awe of what a different world EELP is compared to kindergarten. I was aware there would be differences but I do not think I was completely prepared how different it is. The differences are numerous but not overwhelming, I like them actually. There is more creativity in pre-k, more freedom in what is taught and how to teach it. Pre-k is more about getting students ready for academics rather than actually focusing on academics. I love that it is more play orientated and that students are encouraged to learn through discovery, play, and socializing. The population of students I am working with is also quite different than what I am accustomed to. The students in Ms. Maloney's class are all developmentally delayed. Only one of the students talks frequently, while the other 3 students are still developing communication skills. They all require intense one on one attention and are much more delayed than I have worked with in the past. Because of their delays Ms. Maloney uses a lot of technology in  her classroom that I have never seen in use before. Her class is full of communication boards, big mac buttons, ipads, sensory materials, and much more adaptive technology that I am so excited to begin working with. I think Ms. Maloney's classroom will offer a lot of growth in my teaching practices and can expand my knowledge on many subjects I do not have much experience in but have always wanted to learn about. There are so many things I am already learning and I can not wait to continue this year to complete.

Ecological Model

My ecological model is a reflection of who I am at my very core and the various experiences and people who have helped me become who I am today. Without these systems in place I very likely would not be where I am today or even on tract to become an ESE teacher. Taking part in this assignment allowed me to reflect and look back at everything that has brought me to this point. 

In an ecological model your microsystem is the context in which you grow. It contains not only the people they interact with on a daily basis but also the various things that play a daily part in one's life. The first thing I included in my microsystem is my family. My family is rather small, just my mom, my younger sister and me; but they are the most important people in my life. They are the ones I lean on in good times and bad and the ones who keep me going. To also go with the family that shaped me, I included a picture of a dragonfly. Although it may seem out of place, for me dragonflies have come to symbolize my grandfather and grandmother who passed away. Since I come from a single parent home my grandparents became a very important part of my life and support system when my mom could not be there. Although they passed away, whenever I see a dragonfly I know they are close to me.  I also included two awareness ribbons, a green one for bipolar disorder and a purple one for ulcerative colitis. These are meant to represent my disabilities. Although it is not considered a positive thing in the lives of most people, without the disabilities and trials I went through to overcome them I would never had thought to go into exceptional education. The elements in my microsystem inspire me as well as challenge me. They are all things that affect me everyday and are constantly at the back of my mind. 

 Mesosystems relate to decisions and interactions people inside the microsystems make. They do not always directly involve the person the ecological model is based on but do still affect them. For my mesosystems I focused on the decisions my mother made for me as I grew up. The first thing I put in my mesosystems is school supplies and a cross. This is meant to symbolize the fact that for the first eight years of my life I attended a Christian school. Although I am no longer overtly religious I do like to think that the values and lessons instilled to me through Christian school have stuck with me throughout my life. The next thing I included was the state of Florida which indicates where I grew up and lived my entire life. On the state of Florida I included two houses with a road between them to represent my having to travel as a child between my mom's house and my dad's house. Around once a month my dad would have my sister and I come visit him for the weekend. The last thing included is a stethoscope, this stands for again my health. When I was young I had many health issues that I did not entirely understand. Because of this my mom was required to make a lot of decisions on how I should be treated.

 An exosystem has a wide context and is meant to embody the broader community in which a person lives. My exosystem is a little basic. I included a picture of my friends and neighbors who have become my extended family. Even though they are as important to me as my immediate family (my mom and sister) I did not include them in my microsystem because their influence in my life is recent. The cash with the no sign through it signifies the environment I grew up. Since my mother was a single mother I grew up pretty poor. My mom was the only one who supported our family, and many times we were in poverty. She worked very hard to make sure this did not affect my sister and I too much but it was a fact that we were aware of. I also included a computer for technology. Being a child of the 90's I watched computers and technology grow into what it is today. I grew up with the computer and because of that I created networks outside of my family that influenced me and who I am. Finally in my exosystem I placed my previous workplace. Discovery Point is a daycare where I worked for two years as a childcare provider. This is probably the biggest influence as to why I am becoming a special education teacher. While I worked at Discovery Point I had three students with disabilities. These students were the bright spots of my day. They made my job more difficult but I loved working with them. This is where I realized my passion for special education and decided to go back to school in order to become an ESE teacher.

 The last system is macrosystems. Macrosystems include the ideologies, values, and customs of the culture a person grew up in or follows. For me, my macrosystem has been shaped directly by all the other systems at play in my ecological model. Not just my model but also the experiences I have had throughout my life. The biggest thing I believe in is equality. That is why in my macrosystem I included a gay rights flag as well as a feminist symbol (Rosie the Riveter) and a gender equality symbol. This belief shapes me at the very core of my being. In my career it will be what influences me to fight for the rights of my students who may be underrepresented as well as stand up for them if they are not being treated equally. Another belief important to me is the rights and advocacy of people with disabilities which is why I included the 3E love symbol (the wheelchair heart) which is the logo of company that aims to change the perception of people with disabilities. I also included the autism awareness ribbon because of my continuing work with children who have autism and my passion for working with these students as a teacher.