Department Meeting

In addition to tutoring with the AVID program I will be working with the English department aiding teachers in the classroom with ESL students. One of my first visits to the school as an intern involved attending the department meeting for the 7th and 8th grade English teachers.

The meeting was interesting to an extent. They largely covered what most children experience their first few days of class; what is expected of them along with a review of the rules and regulations of the school. Teachers were assigned bus duties and discussed new regulations for the upcoming school year.

Overall it was interesting to see the other, out of class side of being a middle school teacher, but one department meeting is more than enough for me.

AVID Training

This last Saturday I spent the better part of the day sitting in a stuffy room getting trained in AVID tutoring techniques! A portion of my internship will involve tutoring students who are borderline honors level students and need some extra help in becoming an honor student. The AVID Program, which stands from Advancement Via Individual Determination is a tutoring program initially developed for inner-city kids.

The intended length of the training is right around 16 hours but thankfully our instructors shortened the training to 8 hrs, which is still a long time to be sitting in a room but better than 16 hours. The training gave me some useful tips and information that I hope to implement in the classroom throughout my internship.

Fingerprints!

So, a requirement for teaching that I was unaware of and I think most people are unaware of is fingerprinting. I am not sure if this is a national mandate or a specific requirement for Arizona schools. So, before I could start teaching I had to get my fingerprints!

The process as a whole is pretty much what you expect. The place where I went to get my fingerprints was located in a cramped slightly worn down strip mall a few blocks away from downtown Gilbert. The ladies inside were nice and the entire process took no longer then 45 minutes, most of it was just waiting for my turn.

The only advice I can give to my fellow students concerning getting their fingerprints is: Don't have them done in jail and bring baby wipes.

Introduction

I guess I will begin this blog by introducing who I am and what I plan on doing throughout this current semester.

My name is Ian and I am currently a senior in the school of Public Affairs studying Urban and Metropolitan Studies. I plan on graduating this upcoming Spring semester which I am incredibly excited about!

Throughout this semester I will be interning with Gilbert Public Schools at Highland Junior High. While interning I will be working in the English department assisting teachers with ESL students and tutoring children who are attempting to get into the honors program. I hope to come out of this internship with better leadership skills and a deeper understanding of the learner and development process.