Day 5: Friday

Last Day!

Today was my last day of working in the school. I spent the whole morning with third class where they had a substitute teacher. He asked me to give the class a talk about what its like to be in secondary school and all the experiences that go along with it. I got asked a lot of questions as the class was very inquisitive and very interested in what I had to say.

While the class had their weekly spelling, maths tables and Irish test I took down some artwork and work done by the students from around the room. This means that there will be more space for the next few assignments and projects they do to be displayed.

At break I gave the staff the cupcakes I made as a thank you and then made my way outside to supervise break.

As with everyday previous, I went into Senior Infants after break. They were doing an art activity involving shapes today. They had to draw a picture and colour it in with pastels, but, it could only be composed out of basic 2D shapes. Some students drew farms, cities robots and so on. 

I was sad to say goodbye to the Senior Infants who were such a nice class but I had to head on into Junior Infants again. They were still working on money but this time they were being treated with being allowed to play on the laptops. I helped to had out the laptops and set an online learning game up for the students. Time flew by and before I knew it, it was time for my lunch.

In the yard I played some fun chasing games with the Senior Infants for 30 minutes before the bell rang. 

After lunch I spent the last hour of school with First Class. They were having a relaxing art class. They had to make different shades of various colours and paint them in patterns on their paper. Music was playing and the class was really relaxed as it was the end of the week. I helped some of the students to make different shades of blues, reds and yellows by adding darker and lighter colours to them. This was one of my favourite classes out of the whole week because I love art. 

School ended at 2:10 and I said my goodbyes. I was sad to leave but I'm very grateful to have had the experience. I learned a lot about how a school really operates and all the extras that go on outside of the classroom. I loved interacting with the children and being able to help them in their classes. Before coming to the school primary school teaching was not a career I was at all thinking about pursuing but now I may have had a change of heart. 

Day 4: Thursday

Today  I spent the first part of the morning with Second Class. My cousin is in this class so I got to meet some of her friends which was a lot of fun. The children took out the school laptops and occupied themselves with an interactive application where they could make games. It was quite confusing, and I was needed to help the students with the task. It took me a while to understand the game but I got the hang of it soon enough.

After break in the staff room I spent more time with Senior Infants. They don;t have playtime on a Thursday so instead they did work in their rhyming books. I helped them to come up with words that ended in -ill and then put them into sentences. I enjoyed this a lot as I like helping students with academic work. 

In Junior Infants the kids were learning all about money. They were learning what different coins look like (1c, 2c, 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c, €1, €2.) The teacher asked me to teach the class. I had to call out different amounts of money and the Junior Infants had to hold up a picture of the coin. I really enjoyed it as the kids were really attentive and listened to me well.

After lunch and being on yard duty I was back with Fourth Class.  I went outside with them to practice for sports day which is in a couple of weeks. I watched them do the three legged race and the relay. They all seemed to love sport and to be incredibly eager to do well which was lovely to see. 

It was a nice end to the day to do work outside in the fresh air and I really enjoyed the P.E. class. I walked home at 2:10 and I'm looking forward to see what my last day of work experience has in store for me. 

Day 3: Wednesday

Morning 

This morning I spent all my time with the Junior Infants. First I helped the SNA and the teacher read with each individual student. Then the kids had a fun maths class which involved learning about patterns. I played some fun games with them and then got the paint pallets ready for some patterned finger painting.
I helped the class to make patterns in bright paints which was very messy but a lot of fun!

I played some entertaining games with the Senior Infants outside during break and then went into their classroom to do fun playtime with them until 11:30. I played an interactive game called "Garden Centre" with a small group while others did painting and Lego.





                                                           

For half an hour I went back to Junior Infants where they were learning all about tortoises after reading "The Tortoise and the Hare" yesterday. They watched a video of a tortoise hatching. It was fascinating to see how interested the kids were in the whole ordeal.

Afternooon

The afternoon was spent with Fourth Class who were enjoying themselves in a relaxed art class. They were sewing different designs onto a sort of burlap material in various bright coloured wools. I helped anyone who needed ideas or anyone got a little confused or stuck.

By 2:10 today when school time was over I felt as if the day had flown by. I had a lot of fun with especially the younger classes who I have gotten to know over the week. I am excited to see what tomorrow will bring. 

Day 2: Tuesday

Today I spent the morning with Fifth Class. First we went outside so they could run the heat races for their big sports day which is coming up soon. It was my job to see who came in what position and then report back to the teacher. After about 15 minutes of exercise, the class came back inside to do some project work.

Each student had to work separately on some aspect or topic of World War 1. The students chose topics on things such as trenches, the Lusitania, a timeline of the war and war vehicles. I helped the students do research on the laptops, print out pages and glue pictures down. It was a lot of fun working with the students as they are very mature and capable of holding interesting conversations.

When break time arrived I went outside into the cold to supervise the children playing in the yard.

Then I spent the next hour or so with both Junior and Senior Infants. Both these classes were having fun playtime. I painted scenes of the ocean with a group from Senior Infants which involved a lot of mess and blue paint.

In Junior Infants I also did some arts and crafts with the kids and had chats with them about their birthdays, pets and favourite colours.

After lunch I spent some more time with an SEN where I sat in on a lesson for about 30 minutes.

At 1:30 I went into Fourth Class to help them with their projects on Italy. They were researching everything from gladiators to Trevi's fountain, pasta flavours, the weather and Pompeii. This was the most fun for me as history, and especially classical studies, is my favourite subject.

At 2:10 it was time for me to go home after another day in the school. I really enjoyed the whole day as I interacted with some more of the older students which I have found is what I enjoy the most.

Day 1: Monday

I am doing my third work experience placement in my Kilternan C.O.I. National School. It feels great to be back in my primary school 5 years after I left. I don't think that primary speaking is a career path I wish to follow but perhaps by the end of the week I'll have changed my mind.

Morning 

My day today started at 8:30. I got a lift with my cousins who attend the school. I spent 8:30-10:20 with an SEN where I helped to compile some reading books for the students. I printed them out and then spent a while gluing and stapling. I then sat in on a short maths revision class with some 5th class students.

I then took my break in the staffroom with all the SENs. When the bell rang I

walked around the playground on "yard duty" for 15 minutes while the children took a break in the fresh air.

After that I alternated between Junior and Senior Infants before my lunch break at 12.00. I helped the Senior Infants with worksheets and exercises involving the months of the year. They loved chatting to me and telling me all about their weekends, when their birthdays are, what they dressed up as for Halloween last year and where they are going on their holidays this summer.

In Junior Infants, they were all having fun with Playtime. I helped a table of students with some tricky jigsaws before I was hungry and it was time for lunch.

Afternoon

After being back on Yard Duty for 30 minutes at lunch, I spent some time with a different SEN from 1:00-2:10. I sat in on two different sessions with two different students. I certainly learned a lot about what is the best way to interact with kids in the learning environment. 

My day was over at 2:10 and I was free to go home. It was a fairly short day but I'm still exhausted as I find that any new experience, no matter what it is, makes me feel tired.