EDUC 2300 Introduction to Education

Service Learning
Journal Entries

Anna Johnson
 VISION FOR MY FUTURE

Here is what I want to accomplish this year:

Education: This year I want to finish my Associates degree and grow in my chosen path. My
goal is to pass every class with at least a B and make the Deans list one last time at Walters
State. I have been accepted to the University of Tennessee and will continue my education in the
Early Childhood field there and attain my Bachelors and get my teaching license.

Career: In the next year my goal is to get a job working in the school system and have my foot
in the door, so that when I am ready for a full time position I will already know the principal and
the other teachers. I want to excel in my chosen path and complete everything I attempt with
excellence.

Family and Friends: During this year I would like to see my relationships with my family
members deepen and grow, going places and communicating feelings I have always been afraid
to communicate. I would also like to see my friends trusting me and feeling comfortable coming
to me when they need someone to listen to their problems and help them with issues.

Involvement and Service to My Community: My community is important to me and

something that I want to influence and help to grow. As a child and young adult, I have been very
involved with my church family, or community, working in the nursery and volunteering at
Vacation Bible School. Also, my small community is growing and being able to give back and
help in any way I can is something I will never take lightly.

Personal Growth: My personal life is in constant change and I feel like I am being stretched in
many ways. I never want to stop learning or having new experiences, because that is when I will
stop growing. I want to not only teach my students, but I want them to teach me as well.

Other: I want to grow closer to God and seek Him more than anything else to succeed in my
career and every area of my life.
 Service Learning Project

Name: Anna Johnson

Course Title: Education 2300: Introduction to Education
Date: April 4th, 2017
Agency Name: Talbott Elementary School

Agencys Mission Statement/ Grades Served/ Community Needs:

The mission of Talbott Elementary School is to meet the individual needs of each student
by providing a safe, challenging, and nurturing environment in which students will learn,
discover, and excel.
Talbott Elementary School serves grade Pre-K through Fifth.
Talbott Elementary School needs support from the community in the form of parent
involvement and service. They always welcome and form of volunteer time.

Prologue: What do you expect to get from your service learning experience (i.e., how will this
experience help YOU develop)? How will it impact your learning and link to class materials? How
do you think the students and staff will perceive you? What goals do you have for the semesters
Service Learning experience? What fears do you have (if any) about service learning?
During the service learning experience, I expect to learn more about how a classroom
runs, what it is like to be working in the school system and how much time and effort goes into
lesson planning and field trips. I know there is a lot of dedication and love invested into each
student in a classroom, but I have never been in this setting for more than a couple of hours. I
expect to come out with a new respect for teachers as well as a better understanding of what to
expect for my future career. I believe it will help me develop my communication skills and
planning skills because I know there will be days I desire to do activities with the students if my
supervising teacher will allow me to. It will link to class materials and impact my learning by
allowing me to apply some of the techniques and theories I have been introduced to in class. My
goals for this semesters service learning are to get to know how a classroom functions, what is
required of teachers and how they collaborate to give their students the absolute best education
possible. I do not think I have any fears about service learning. I am more excited than anything,
because I love children and I love imparting knowledge and seeing them light up when they learn
something new and interesting. I love being around them and seeing their frustrations and
successes.
 Journal Entry 1
First Agency Visit (Overview of events): I met briefly with the principal of Talbott
Elementary School, Mr. Ron Overton, in his office. We talked only for as long as it took him to
sign my papers and officially give me permission to enter a classroom and complete my service
learning.

I then met Mrs. Evans, who was my supervising teacher, and she took me to her
classroom and introduced me to her students. We also discussed the days and times I would be
coming to complete my service learning hours and she gave me her phone number in case I
needed anything. If I could have stayed there right then I would have gladly done so!

ABCs of Reflections

Affect: I was slightly nervous about meeting everyone for the first time simply because I
am always nervous meeting people. However, I did have my friend Jessica with me because my
supervising teacher is her step-mother, so she took me in to introduce me. I very quickly became
comfortable after talking to Mrs. Evans for a few minutes and realizing that she and the students
were very excited for me to come and spend time with them. I felt like I would learn a lot from
her during my hours in her classroom.

Behavior: I believe my supervising teacher and the principal came out of the first
meeting with a good impression of me and I came out with a very high opinion of them. I also
believe they realized how much I love kids when I stopped talking to them so I could listen to the
students talking to me and answer their questions. I do not believe they were at all offended by
this, because they would do the same thing.

Cognition/Content: I was excited about my first full day with the class and ready to
learn unfamiliar approaches to handling young students. There were seventeen kindergarteners in
Mrs. Evans class and I was unsure of how she would keep them all in check and paying
attention.
 Journal Entry 2

First Two Thursdays: (Overview of events)

My first Thursday I was nervous and excited. The hardest part of my entire day was
trying to remember all the students names. I learned their schedule and a little bit more about
their classroom policies and class control. By my second day in the classroom I was very
comfortable around the students and familiar with the schedule and what was expected in the
classroom.
ABCs of Reflection

Affect: I was pleased with my performance the first two days in the classroom,
recognizing the areas I am uncomfortable and seeing where some of my own strengths are. I
realized very quickly how comfortable I really am talking to children when I am not that
comfortable talking to adults. Mrs. Evans asked me to guide one of the centers my second
Thursday there and I was fine with this and the opportunity it gave me to spend some time with
just a couple of kids at a time and get to know them better.

Behavior: During both my first two days (as well as the rest of my service learning
experience) I acted professionally and politely, always offering a helping hand to anyone who
looked like they needed it. The one thing I might change if I could would be I would love to have
been able to be there more than I was. I absolutely loved every minute of it.

Cognition/Content: One of the concepts we discussed in class was class control and
having a cue to get the class to quiet down. Mrs. Evans did not employ any type of sound maker
but would instead tell the children to stop, look, and listen or to get down to business if they
were getting too chatty during work time. She also had them get bubbles when they had to
leave the classroom, which looked like they were all holding their breath as they walked down
the hallway. She had complete control of her classroom and her students loved her.
 Journal Entry 3

Second two Thursdays (Overview of events): By my third Thursday with the class they were
all completely comfortable with me and I with them. My third Thursday Mrs. Evans asked me to
do some math testing individually with the kids in the hall. I took them one at a time and they did
their little test and then went back to the classroom. My fourth Thursday I did a life cycle of a
butterfly lesson with the students, including a chain of events activity.

ABCs of Reflection

Affect: I was very pleased and at the same time learned a lot from my performance the
second and third Thursdays. I learned how to word questions to make the students think and
answer the math test questions without giving away the answers. I was also able to put together a
lesson about butterflies and teach them that. It was interesting being in front of all of them at the
same time for the first time. They did a fantastic job and Mrs. Evans helped me quiet them down
a couple of times when they got too loud and were not listening too well.

Behavior: My behavior during these two Thursdays was more comfortable and familiar
because I was relaxing in the setting. If I could change one thing about my time during these two
days it would be having a more involved in butterfly lesson and perhaps having them do
individual cycles instead of one large group life cycle portrayal. However, I do believe that they
still had fun with the lesson and learned the life cycle of the butterfly. Mrs. Evans asked them a
question recently about it and they were still able to answer the questions accurately.

Cognition/Content: One of the things we talked about in class was that sometimes you
must get on a childs level and speak directly to them quietly to get their attention and get them
to behave. This is something I watched Mrs. Evans do one day when some of the students were
calling each other stupid and being mean with their words. She took them aside and talked to
them privately, but right on their level and they had no more issues.

Epilogue:
Reflect on your semesters service learning experience.
This semesters service learning experience has been an adventure, to say the least. The students
were wonderful and fun and I learned a lot from them. Mrs. Evans allowed me to jump right in and
participate in lessons and centers and other activities. I got to experience a small taste of teaching
when I presented the lesson on the life cycle of butterflies. Having all the students looking to me for
directions was a little bit intimidating at first, but also exhilarating and fun at the same time.

Revisit the prologue. Have your expectations been met?

During my service learning, time I was delighted to be able to observe how the classroom was run
and how much time was put into lessons. I was also privileged to see how the Kindergarten teachers
all worked together to educate their students. They would share resources and lessons with each other
and were available to step in any time one of them needed to proctor a test. Going into my service
learning with specific expectations was one of the best mindsets to have. I also kept my mind open to
learn more than I thought I would. All my expectations were met and even exceeded during my
hours. I could not have asked for a better experience at all.

How have you been surprised, delighted, or dismayed by the experience? Give specific examples.
I have been delighted by this experience. The students were wonderful and I absolutely loved them!
One day one of the little boys looked at me (at 8:00 in the morning) and said, Why are you dressed
like that?! I was wearing a skirt and nice shirt. This student was in rare form most days and would
begin dancing and singing at random moments throughout the day. Another day the students were
watching a counting video and we all danced along as they counted to one hundred by ones. They
always came running to give me hugs and wanted to hold my hand while we were walking down the
hallway or playing at recess. I could not have asked for a better class to service learn in.

How could this experience be improved?

I honestly not think of any way that this experience could possibly be improved. The chance to be in
a classroom for as many hours as I was and to be there with such wonderful students was a blessing
and something I will never forget.

VISION FOR MY FUTURE

 Here is what I want to accomplish in the next five years:

Education: In the next five years I want to finish my bachelors degree and get a job in my
field. Because my track at the University of Tennessee is a three-year program, I am supposed to
come out with my bachelors and only needing twelve more hours to have my masters. My goal
is to get a job and work and then complete my masters after I have been working for a couple of
years.

Career: When I finish my program at the University of Tennessee I would like to get a job
working in the Jefferson County school system, maybe even at Talbott Elementary School where
I have done my service learning hours this semester. Jefferson County is where I grew up and I
would do anything I can to help the students achieve a better life than some of their parents.

Family and Friends: During the next five years, I would like to see my family growing closer
and deepening our relationships. They are my first support system and the strongest one I will
ever have or need. I will need their support as I finish my education and begin my career.

Involvement and Service to My Community: I want to stay involved in my service to my

church but also expand my reach and help my community. I can become an advocate for students
in the school system and help them achieve their dreams. I can assist them in going where they
want to go. I want to also help my friends get to where they want to be. If they need help I want
to be there for them and I hope they will be there for me as well.

Personal Growth: I want to see myself grow as a leader and friend. I do not want to walk in a
place of intimidation, but I want to be able to bring my ideas and suggestions to any people I am
working with. I want to see myself always learning and never decide to stop, because that is
when you become stagnant in what you want to do.

Other: I want to keep growing closer to the Lord and following His directions for my life. One
thing I have heard a lot in this season is, Dont not do the hard things just because theyre hard
and this has become my motto. Often, the things the Lord is calling me to do are hard, but I do
not want to quit just because of that.

REFLECTIONS
 Here are the Knowledge and Skills that I have acquired as a direct result of taking part in this
Service Learning project:
I acquired some skills in classroom control and the knowledge of how to work with others and
collaborate on lessons. I also learned one way of getting parents involve in the classroom by
having them bring in snacks on specific days for the kids. They also came and helped with the
students E aster egg hunt, helping to stuff and hide eggs and give some more chaperoning as all
fifty-one kindergarten students went out on the baseball field to hunt eggs. I got to sit in on
meetings with the reading specialist and hear some of her suggestions for the students and how to
do group reading and facilitate several types of reading in the classroom.

Here is how this Service Learning project ties in with my

EDUC 2300 Introduction to Education class:
This Service Learning project ties in with my EDUC 2300 Introduction to Education class
because it gave me the opportunity to read and hear about different methods of teaching and
different strategies of presenting material which I was then able to go and observe or employ. We
discussed acting professionally in class and then I had to go and practice what I was learning. I
learned to document all the different incidents that occur throughout the day in a kindergarten
classroom. This way if anyone ever questions anything that happened during my time in the
classroom I am not worried about forgetting anything because I have it in writing.

My Contribution to the Community

I have devoted _68.5_ hours to my Service Learning project. Here are four lasting experiences
that are an outcome of my Service Learning project:
1. Learning the importance of team teaching and how to work with another teacher.
2. I learned that I never want to label a kid as bad because once he or she has that label there
will only be expectations of unruly behavior from the student and he or she will know that
that is all that is expected of them.
3. Experiencing transitions as students left the classroom and new students entered. I learned
how to help them adjust to a new setting and a bunch of new people all wanting to get to
know them.
4. The importance of the school resource officer. The officer at Talbott Elementary was always
willing to talk with the kids and let them know he was there for them. He would go into
every classroom every day and spend some time with each class, making his presence known
and making the kids feel comfortable coming to him with their problems. He would also help
the teachers with anything they were doing and he would do so cheerfully.