Observations

My second observation, I was at Wolf Springs Elementary School with Mrs. Wells.  Mrs. Wells teaches the Special Education Resource classroom for grades 3rd, 4th, and 5th. I was in Mrs. Wells' classroom for three weeks. Mrs. Wells works with students with reading and math skills. There was anywhere from one student to five students in the classroom at a time. The students were all working on something different, but Mrs. Wells did an amazing job of instructing them for their individual needs. 

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In the fifth grade math class I observed, Mrs. Wells taught two students on multiplication, skip counting, division, addition, and subtraction. The students work through a workbook that is divided into individual lessons. Some lessons Mrs. Wells would teach new content and other lessons were review of previous knowledge. I learned the important of balancing time as a special education teacher working with each of the students. Mrs. Wells modeled this in the way she would jump back and forth between students answering questions. I also observed a group of 3rd grade students learning to read. Both students have dyslexia, so Mrs. Wells teaches them through a curriculum called Secret Codes. Secret Codes teaches students to learn to read by teacher letter sounds before names, instead of the typical classroom model which teachers letter names then the sounds associated with them. I enjoyed the opportunity to teach a lesson on story writing to group of 4th graders. Since these students struggle to read and write, I decided to plan a lesson for students to write a comic book. Having the students create a comic book allowed them to learn and practice the story writing process, but using minimal words. 

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I loved watching Mrs. Wells interact with her students. It was very clear to see how intentional Mrs. Wells is with each of her students. She takes time to get to know each of their likes, dislikes, and how to engage with them best. Every Friday, Mrs. Wells' students get 15 minutes of game time with her and other students to build relationships and celebrate their accomplishments. By doing this, students not only have a positive reinforcement reward for working hard, but they are gaining interpersonal connections with peers and adults. 

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The most common behavior in the classroom was students intentionally trying to be silly to get off task and avoid work. When students had behaviors in the classroom, Mrs. Wells always handled the situation very well. She was firm with the student by saying their name and asking if that was an expected or unexpected choice. By asking them this question, the students were able to evaluate their own behavior and make an adjustment. After making the expected choice, Mrs. Wells would positively thank them and provide lots of praise. 

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I loved the personal connections I made with students in Mrs. Wells' classroom. It would absolutely brighten my day when I would come to class and the students would be so excited I was there. I got to know one sweet 5th grader in particular over games of Bump It and Old Maid. Mrs. Wells was also very intentional with me and taking every opportunity she could to teach me about special education. I learned about evaluations, IEPs, behavior management plans, and curriculum for students with dyslexia. I am incredibly thankful for my time I spent in Mrs. Wells' classroom and for the connections I made with students at Wolf Springs.