MaritaUndergraduate
Exceptional Education |
MaritaUndergraduate
Exceptional Education |
The first week has gone, for the most part, great! I look forward to coming to school each morning and seeing the kids. They have made me feel so welcome. My mentor teacher is a very wise teacher and great to have a casual conversation with. For my first full day of school, my mentor teacher was out sick. There was a series of subs that rotated in and out of the classroom to teach the different subjects. I was the consistent person in the room. This was both positive and negative. Myself and the sub heavily relied on the students to maintain the classroom routine. This situation also forced me to quickly get to know the students and for them to quickly learn to trust me. By the end of the first period I had students arguing who was going to hold my hand in the hallway. All students have shown an interest in me and I have been able to make a one on one connection with each student. This day did not make me feel confident in my understanding of the school and classroom structure. For the rest of the week my mentor teacher was in. I was able to observe how she runs her classroom, how she interacts with the students, and her expectations of the students. Unfortunately, I got very sick after lunch on Thursday and had to leave for the rest of the school day. I was sick for the rest of the night. After a goodnight’s sleep, I was able to come back on Friday. I was too excited to read aloud to the kids I did not want to miss anymore school!
I was able to teach a language lesson on Friday. The class is trying to finish the current book they are reading so they can start reading new theatrical texts which connect to their unit of inquiry. I read the story to the students and asked them supporting questions. The students were incredibly engaged with the story, they beg to read the story. The school lunches are incredible! Many of the students and staff complain about the quality and options but in my opinion, the school lunches are worlds above US school lunches. One aspect of the Siena school lunches I really appreciated was that they ate with reusable trays, cups, silverware, plates, and bowls. There was no ‘one use’ serving and eating tools. There is still a lot of food waste, kids almost never finish their plate, but there was no plastic waste! I wonder now if there is legislation around school lunches in Italy like there is in the US. In the US we have rules regarding fruit and vegetable servings, portion sizes, and sweets. Does Italy have similar regulations and what are those regulations? Do private schools, like ISS, have to follow those rules? I adore my host family and all their quirks! My host mother likes to tease me for my breakfast. I will eat leftovers from dinner standing up over the sink. I quickly chug coffee and scarf down food all while running out of the house. My host mother thinks it is so strange that I do not sit down and set the table for a proper breakfast. She does not ask me to change my ways, she just thinks it is odd I would eat leftovers for dinner standing up. I told her standing in the kitchen is an upgrade from eating in my car, which is where I normally eat breakfast. I am learning to appreciate and value meal time and the scarcity slowing down and eating a proper meal, even in the morning. Another incredible week in Siena!
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AuthorHi! I'm Marita Miller an exceptional education student at Buffalo State student teaching in Siena Italy. Follow my journey! Archives
May 2023
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