Intern Year: Spring 2014: Week 1

Going into my secondary placement, I was very nervous about what it would be like.  I have never taught in a secondary placement, and middle school seems to be a difficult age for the students academically, socially, and personally.
The special education room that I am in is very different from the special education room I was in at my Elementary setting.  The room is much bigger and is set up more like a general education classroom.  There are rows of desks and a lot of books!  There are also computers with headphones and microphones that are used for reading assistance.  The teacher's desk is at the front of the room, and there is a smart board behind her desk.  However, the smart board is not used; it is used for a place to hang artwork.  I feel that this is a horrible waste of technology.  So much could be done on the smart board to enhance the lesson and develop the students' learning.
The class day is also different from my elementary setting.  The teacher mostly co-teaches throughout the day.  However, in some cases it feels that she is only in there for behavior management and to provide assistance and help when the students are completing problems.  In another class, she actually co-teaches with a program called Read 180 and Math 180.  They are both really great programs with what I have seen so far.  With Read 180, there are 20 minutes of whole group setting then 20 minutes of silent reading, 20 minutes of small group instruction from the text book, and 20 minutes of computer with the Read 180 program.  The students move through the computer, silent reading, and small instruction stations.  I feel that this is great for students to develop their reading through different strategies and technologies.
During this semester, I will also switch halfway through my 8 week placement to a self-contained classroom.  I think it will be good to experience the multiple special education settings, and this will provide me with another opportunity to experience what type of setting that I would ideally like to work in.  However, I am concerned that this is going to be difficult since I will only spend 4 weeks in each setting compared to 8 weeks.  It will be challenging to become comfortable and understand the classroom, expectations, and teacher strategies.  It will be like I am starting all over again with new students, a new teacher, and new classroom.
I am a little concerned about the amount of work and assignments that I need to complete this semester. It is going to take a lot of dedication, hard work, and good time management.  Also, I want to focus on applying for jobs for the upcoming school year.  There is no better way to end my college career and degree than fast and furious!
I am now starting to feel more comfortable in the middle school setting.  I feel as if it took longer for myself to feel comfortable with the students and for them to feel comfortable with me, also.  I am look forward to this placement!