1. Tracie Ambrose
Professor Goldman
Education 458
September 2, 2010
Reflections On My First Week
Tuesday of this week marked my first week of student teaching. On my first day, I was a
bit disoriented. I was unsure of the schedule and noticed that some students seemed to float in
and out of the classroom. No announcements were made regarding who was to leave and at
what time. I did not have a printed schedule to help define the different time periods. I, also, was
not sure which students belonged in the classroom and which did not because some came for a
short time and left.
Several things that I encountered surprised me. First, Mrs. Siesky is a strict teacher. This
delighted me as I am also a strict teacher. I have taught for the past six years, and during that
time my students told me that I was strict. Seeing that Mrs. Siesky is strict helped to alleviate my
fears that I might not work well with children. I had feared that I was not soft enough because I
set standards high and expect them to be met. The next thing I discovered was that the Pledge
of Allegiance is recited daily. Many people, especially those in my church, insist that the Pledge

2. of Allegiance is no longer allowed in our classrooms. I can now tell them with confidence that
they are wrong. At least, in the EVSC the complete Pledge of Allegiance is recited. Another
thing that I found interesting was the lunch that the children consume. On the first day of my
tenure in Dexter Elementary School, I ate the school lunch. It consisted of pasta with meatless
marinara sauce, a bread stick, sherbet, mixed vegetables, and milk. The only protein on the
menu was contained in the milk. I thought about the 80% poverty rate that I was told about and
the high obesity rate of America’s children. I considered that most of these students are on
some form of assistance and do not have access to healthy foods at home, and they are not
encouraged to learn about healthy foods. It makes me wonder how the students are supposed
to learn how to choose wisely when selecting healthy alternatives. If children are taught early in
life to make healthy choices, they will be more likely to do so as adults. Finally, I observed that
most of the students are on task and doing what they are supposed to be doing. There are a
few students who require extra attention to help them stay on task, however the majority do their
work when asked to do so.
By the end of the first week, I have begun to assist students with their work, observe
reading groups, enter grades, and grade papers. I have asked to pass papers back to the
students so that I can begin to put names with faces. I believe that the students are beginning to

3. accept me as one of the adults with authority. Generally, when I ask them to put away
something that is distracting them from staying on task, they do so. They also listen when I ask
them to stop talking or stop some other behavior.
I look forward to next week when the reading class begins reading the book, Number
the Stars by Lois Lowry. That was one of my favorite books, and I believe this will be an
interesting book for the students to become familiar with. I am glad that Mrs. Siesky has agreed
to have me in her classroom this semester. She is very experienced and knows many things. It
is refreshing to see that not only does she use the technology, but she embraces it.