My Strengths

MY TOP 5 STRENGTHS

1Restorative

2Learner

3Connectedness

4Achiever

5Harmony

The process of finding out my strengths was quite long, but I think that it does provide a good overall picture of what my strengths are. This whole student teaching process has helped me see my strengths as well. I value interpersonal relationships and growing through various obstacles. I believe that I do see these strengths in me, even though sometimes I feel that my weaknesses outweigh my strengths. I think part of this whole process is to be able to look at your strengths and apply it into my teaching and my lifestyle.

I love being able to overcome challenges by "restoring" new perspectives onto others.

I am a learner and I believe I will never stop learner. I once told my friend that if I were to become wealthy, I would continue going to school. There is so much out there and so much that I have not seen or heard of.

As I continue to grow as a teacher and woman of God, I hope to carry out my strengths and reflect my Father.

Getting to Business

Observations make be nervous and a little bit OCD, but as my supervisor came for my first informal visit, I had no choice but to go with the flow and be confident in what I was doing.


It went exceptionally well and it was all thanks to my collaborating teacher's ability to communicate with me and use my presence in the classroom prior to my observartion. We developed a natural flow of teaching with our students. We were basically co-teaching during my informal observation. It gave my surpervisor a clear idea of my role in Ms. Chilson's ESL class. I was more confident and comfortable as an authority figure in the classroom. Ms. Chilson was able to give me great cues and suggestions as I interacted with the students during the Big Book Reading time. There was a natural flow that occurred in the class and I was no longer thinking about how I was doing, but about how I am getting my message across to the students.

I strongly believe that once a teacher begins to focus less on his or herself in the classroom, he or she is able to give their best to their students.

My biggest fears coming into this were that students would not respect me as their teacher and I would lose control of my students. Thus far, I have comfortably adjusted into my role as a teacher in this ESL classroom. I am still learning a lot from my collaborating teacher and the students that I engage with. What was successful about my informal observation was the student's attentiveness towards me. They followed my directions without Ms. Chilson having to redirect them and they were engaged to what I had to say. That really reassured me of what I was doing and affirmed my desire to become a successful ESL teacher.

From my recent experiences, I have never felt more assured about teaching ESL.

The Countdown Begins......

It is already February? I am into my third week of student teaching and it has been one of the most eye opening experiences of my college career. It is one thing to learn how to teach and be prepared for the elementary classroom, but it is another when you are emersed into the actual lifestyle of a classroom teacher. It is no wonder most teachers sleep before midnight, they need every ounce of energy to get ready for the next day!


Some days time flies, but some days I find myself counting down the minutes to dismissal.


I was placed in Ms. Chilson's ESL classroom. The kids call her Ms. Kelli, and they call me Ms. Amy. The kids are the cutest little things you will ever encounter. The quiet ones are cute and the loud ones are just as cute. Adjusting to this ESL classroom was not very hard because Ms. Chilson is very welcoming and accommodating. This transition has been surprisingly natural. This is coming from the person that originally wanted to teach middle school and high school students. I am so grateful to Ms. Chilson because she is really a great model for me to learn from in the elementary ESL classroom.

I am looking forward to growing and learning more about the educational system as well as how to be a good Christian Teacher.

This is just my introductory post just to give a preview of what kind of classroom and a general overview of my experience thus far.


Still adjusting to being called Ms. Amy....


-Amy