Observing a 3rd grade class for a day

The reality about my passage to a teaching career hit me while I was driving my school and I was filled with mixed emotions on the road. While undertaking the learning courses on teaching, I had not fully felt a connection with this call but now it seemed so real. This experience brought some sense of pride and accomplishment something that I had always desired. Probably, the excitement could be attributed to the anticipation of a new environment full of children on whose lives I was expected to impact greatly.

Upon reaching the school, I was met with a neatly arranged compound that appeared very neat and clean .Most of the children seemed to be in class and the many individuals around were adults whom I assumed to be management and staff. The ground seemed well kept with proper arrangement of different facilities apart from few places where renovation seemed to be happening. Actually, the environment provided sense of welcoming and easily adaptable for any stranger with keen interest in child education. The polite reception starting right from the entrance spoke volume about the culture of the place and for a moment, I felt ready to meet the teacher who would be allocated to me.

 At the reception ,  I waited to be directed to where I could meet the teacher but it was not long before she appeared wearing a broad and infectious smile. She was quite happy to meet me and briefly introduced me to the few management staff around, and what I expected from her students in the class room. In the meantime, my observation was fixed on various activities around and some teachers who looked quite engaged with their students. In my conversation with the teacher she insinuated that teaching is great but it is not all laughs and smiles since there always good moments and hard times that a teacher must face. The children had different learning capabilities, concentration levels and interest in leaning, and I could feel what she meant considering that I have been around children in past functions.   

After the introduction, I felt ready to go meet the pupils in the classroom. The classroom had children who looked so innocent and carefree and I could feel that some barely noticed my presence. The walls of the room were covered in different artworks done by the students and others done by her. The artwork included illustrations of objects in surrounding and even portraits while some stories had also been pinned. The desks inside the room were arranged in groups of four, with every desk bearing the name tag of the child. In addition, the ceilings and walls were covered with the alphabet, which helped the children observe how cursive letters are written. The arrangement of the classroom was quite impressive and resonated well with the age and behavior of these little children. With her desk near the door, and a table at the front the teacher had a very view of the class.  For a split second, a nostalgic feeling overwhelmed me as I remembered my early years in education. The conversation with my teacher was , on the other hand , quite informative and opened my mind into the psychology of young children and their learning needs and experiences.