Final Day

Yes, I do realize this is not a picture. But I honestly don't care. This is what really summarizes my life at internship these past 3 weeks.

Let me lay it on the line for you, the last 3 weeks have been some the most enriching and exciting of my life. And during that time, I established myself as not only a comedian, but a valuable asset for the school. Also, I managed to garner the reputation for wearing a variety of novelty hats, and dressing up in costumes (George Washington, Leif Ericsson, etc.)


Some of the highlights of my internship were those times when I was able to run PE. It really gave me the ability to flex my executive skills, and it was a lot of fun to boot. Other times where I was able to lead and teach were when there were small math groups that came into the class to be tutored. Every Wednesday I got to teach a small group of kids math, which was not only great experience for a future career in teaching, but also rewarding in the fact I may have impacted a student's future.

Despite today being the kid's party day, the mood was somber. I had to leave the kids, and the kids had to watch me go. I'm gonna miss every one of them. Almost all of them gave me thank you/goodbye cards. I'm going to treasure them for a very long time.

I have had my fun, and I've left my mark on the school. I just hope that one day I can go back. Because I'm always going to remember those kids. And I'm always going to remember that school.

Day 13

Felice Simmonds
5th Grade Teacher
Park Village Elementary School
Room K205

1. Why did you decide to become a teacher?

Honestly, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do in college. I decided I wanted to be “something” instead of just trying to find “something” so I pursued a teaching credential. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.


After college I worked in advertising for newspapers and in radio. I also worked as a copywriter in an advertising agency. These were all somewhat “glamorous” professions which offered me large expense accounts, private jets and high-powered clients. I found myself spending lots of time with people who meant nothing to me. It seemed so superficial.


I had a childhood friend who had also gotten her credential. She was teaching in Poway Unified, and she suggested I spend the day with her watching her teach because she thought I would love teaching. Needless to say, I never looked back.

2. Is becoming a teacher something that you really have to be passionate about?

Of course! Why would you choose to spend each day in front of a group of people when you were living a lie? It’s so obvious when a teacher is just perfunctory. When a teacher doesn’t care, kids don’t care, and there are MANY problems, including discipline associated with that.

3. What college courses would you recommend for prospective teachers?

I can’t say any specific course, but I will say that teachers are born to teach. You must have a presence that cannot be taught. The gift of being an exceptional teacher requires intellect, humor, command, acting skill, compassion, the ability to bring out the best in a student and many other intangibles.

4. What college did you attend?

I attended San Diego State University for undergraduate work and Azusa Pacific University for my Master’s Degree.

5. Are there some days where your job overloads you?

It’s strange to be in a profession where you feel you could always do more or you haven’t done enough. I could work every day until 8:00pm and on weekends and never get all the administrative and curricular work completed. There are always bulletin boards to change, countless meetings to attend and parents to meet with. But it’s always the kids that make it fun. Each day is special with them, so I do what I can to be competent in the paperwork portion of my job and focus on the importance of my student’s success.

6. Has your intern's time at the workplace been beneficial for the school?

I have loved having Evan here. I think he has seen a different side of my profession and its many demands. He has gained an understanding of the many components of peer interaction and team work, the many demands and interruptions in a teacher’s work day, and the amount of love and enthusiasm it requires to keep 34 students on tract and productive. He has helped with teaching small groups, organization of my classroom, and administrative work. He is currently assisting with our broadcast team. Due to budgetary constraints we have been unable to produce a show this year. He is willing to assist me in any way, and is extremely competent and intelligent. I will miss him (and so will my students) when he’s gone.

7. Do you believe that your intern's time here is good preparation for a future career in education?

7. I think so. If Evan ever did consider teaching as a profession I think he would emulate many of the strategies I use with my students. The kids obviously enjoy him very much. I think he sees teaching is all encompassing, and not just presenting material. And I think he likes that. He’d be a great teacher.

So today I had the kids come in early to film for the PB&J video. Again, it was nigh impossible to get them to settle down. My trusty mature student Diane helped calm them into a manageable state. I was genuinely surprised by the acting of one of the students, mainly because he didn't seem like an actor. To put it into words, he's one of those awkwardly funny guys. The guy who's funny in his ability to be nervous and shy. You know what I'm talking about.

Another highlight of my day came to me in an email, or to my mentor in an email who then told me by ear. Tomorrow is a kickball tournament between the 5th grade classes. Instantly my excitement level went up, because kickball is one of my favorite sports. I unfortunately, cannot play. But I do get to be the mascot, so be on the lookout for pictures of that tomorrow.

Day 12

The following are three images that represent what is most significant to me at my internship.




-To the untrained eye, this is just an ordinary assortment of hats. But to me, it's a fun and interesting way I can grab the attention of the students. For every subject, I wear a different hat. There's the Royal Math Crown, the Viking Helmet of Exploration (social studies), the Tricorn of Literature, the Straw Hat of Physical Activity, and the Sombrero of Silent Reading. You can obviously tell I treasure these hats.



-What would school be without PE? Our school actually. But beyond that, PE is the time where my mentor let's me flex my executive abilities. By that I mean she lets me run the class. It may not seem like such a big deal, but I love being able to coach the kids in physical activity. It allows me to work on my refereeing skills as well.





-And of course, the thing that is most significant and of most value to me is the kids themselves. Without them, there would be no internship. Despite their constant ability to cause trouble, break rules, and be generally rowdy, there's no disputing the fact that the kids are what makes being a teacher so rewarding.



Today was a good day, and an early release day (booyah). I had the kids in the PB&J group meet before school with me to start filming a scene. I also learned that getting any group of kids to work with you is like attempting to catch particles of light in jar. Impossible. But after a great effort to calm them down by a mature student and myself, we got the scene done. The rest of the day was like every other day. Solving disputes, grading, making copies, running PE, and assisting my mentor in any way possible.

It's going to be rough going back to school. I'm gonna miss the kids, the classroom, my mentor. I just hope that I leave an impact on them, for the better.

Day 11

This week has brought with it new memories, and new challenges. First off, I started a new project that needs to be done by Friday, and I'm starting to worry that it won't be. The problem is that the kids who will be in the video will be in class, and it's tough to find time to do the filming. But I'm hopeful that it will get done.

One of the things that continues to worry me is that even though I know I've helped benefit the class, and have been told that I've done so, I don't have any tangible evidence to show for it. Normally I wouldn't really care, but because a POL requires physical evidence, I'm not so sure what to do. I got a suggestion that maybe I can have the kids write reviews for me. They can write about there experiences with me in the class, and how I have helped them personally, and the class as a whole. That way I can have some sort of evidence to support my claims.

Hopefully this last week of internship won't be as stressful as my mind is making it out to be. It would be a shame to end what has otherwise been a fantastic experience on such a bad note.

Day 10

Well, I don't have a picture since both my phone AND camera died on me. What are the odds.

But I figure I can sum up my day with this



Some of you naysayers might be thinking "Well gee Evan, that sure is a strange image to sum up your day". You would be right. But it does represent how much fun and how happy I am doing my internship. Everyday makes me wonder how I might run MY future classroom.


I'm planning on asking my mentor questions like these:

1. Why is it you became a teacher?

2. Are there some days that bring you to the brink while teaching?

3. How do you expect to cope with the upcoming budget cuts?

4. What courses do you recommend for college students aiming to become teachers?



So today was another laid back day, mostly due to the heavy rain. The kids were disappointed that they had to stay inside all day. But my mentor and I decided that if they worked diligently throughout the day, we would reward them by letting them watch Kung Fu Panda. Which, on a side note, is one of favorite of all time. Anyway, I also met with my team for the PBJ project. I had them pair up and create storyboards for the segments they came up with. My segment is called "Ask an Intern", where students submit questions to me about high school and things they are curious about dealing with their academic future. Sometimes the questions are just things they want to know. I'm expecting this to be a lot of fun when it rolls of the production line. Hopefully that will be before I have to present it.

Day 9

First off, it would be wise to note that my project has changed. Instead of doing the organizational system (which is already done really), I'm going to be facilitating the school's newscast, PB & J. Which stands for Penguin Broadcast Journalism. Normally one of the 5th grade teachers does it, but she's way too busy to even start it up. So they figured it would be good for me to put my technical and writing skills to the test. My mentor and another teacher picked out 4 students from each class to become part of the broadcasting team. The video needs to be 30-40 minutes long, and have 4 different segments. So far, we have brainstormed the topics we'd like to do, and are now in the planning stage of the process. I think I'm going to have a lot of fun with this, while also developing management skills, and video editing and recording skills. This benefits the school because without me, there was no one else to do it. What used to be a monthly broadcast has degraded into a less then four times a year broadcast. I'm helping to give the kids an opportunity to flex their creative muscles and create something they can be proud of.

So today was a pretty laid back day. The kids had band class after lunch, but they do it in rotations, so only parts of the class were gone at a time. Because of that, the class was quieter then usual. A nice change of pace if you ask me. One thing that really surprised me though was that I learned that one of the students in my internship class thought I was actually 18 instead of 16 the last two weeks. I felt kind of old for a second.

Anyway, I got to teach math today to small groups of kids from other classes. Nothing big, but still fun nonetheless.

Every day brings with it more experience. I figure by the time I get done with this internship, I'll be well on my way to becoming a teacher myself.

Day 8

One of the things I have noticed about all the teachers and staff at the school is their ability to remain calm under any situation or frustration. No matter how disrespectful, mean, nasty, or downright annoying a student can get, they always play it cool. It shows a great deal of self control, something that I sometimes have to work on. Normally I can deal with anything the kids throw at me, but there is one kid who loves to give me a lot of disrespect. I find it incredibly difficult to not let him get under my skin.

Also, nearly every staff member has the amazing ability to remain happy, all the time. It slightly relates to their ability to remain calm, but what astounds me is that nothing can get to these people. They talk about how much money they're going to lost next year, and how 5th grade classrooms will be at 40 students next year, but they just laugh it off and put on a smile for their kids. If I learned that my class would be at 40 students, I would be flipping out. I would be yelling, screaming, and frustrated. But for these teachers? Not a problem. Either they truly do not feel sad or frustrated, or they hide it really good for the benefit of their kids. Either way, they do a smashing job of it.


Today was an exciting day, it was my first time giving a lesson in front of the entire class, not just small groups of kids. I had to give the a lesson on their spelling unit. It's funny because my mentor just put me right on the spot and said "Instead of me giving the lesson, how about you do it". 20 seconds of looking over the material later I was standing in front of them looking like a deer in the headlights. After I had warmed up to the experience though, it wasn't as nerve-wracking. Today was also the kid's short day, which means I got out at 1:40. Or to be more exact, I got out at 1:35. The reason for leaving 5 minutes early is to beat the rush of parents coming to pick up their kids.

It's becoming easier for me to get stuff done every day I'm in the class. Now that I've had a week or so to get settled, I have the ability to take initiative and figure out things I can do myself, without the help or guiding hand of my mentor. That's not to say I don't do things my mentor says of course, but now I know what needs to be done during the day, and how to do it.