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= This wikispace is presented by Samantha Dunn in fulfillment of the requirements of = = SEED 394 Internship in Secondary Education = The Internship Field Experience is the second of three required field experiences for certification in The School of Education at The University of South Dakota. The Internship is designed to give students a more extensive and participatory experience than the Paraprofessional Field Experience, and students who complete the Internship will be better prepared to enter the Student Teacher Field Experience. In keeping with the School of Education’s theme of //Reflective Decision Making + Leadership//, the Internship is designed to allow students the opportunity to examine their interactions in the school setting and to evaluate the role they play in student learning. According to Donald Graves (2001), “Awareness that grows out of the specifics of your own situation produces energy. For this reason, you need to know the details of your own experience in order to make some judgments about how to set a personal and professional direction for your life.” The activities required during the Internship Field Experience and the associated written assignments will give you the chance to reflect upon your progress toward becoming a teacher. Perhaps more importantly, you will have the opportunity to reassess and, hopefully, reaffirm your commitment to teaching as a career path.

Graves, D. (2001). //The Energy to Teach.// Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann

**Samantha Dunn's Fall** **2009 SEED 394 Internship Placement** = Check List - Next Steps =
 * School: || Vermillion High School ||
 * Field-based supervisor: || John Dimock ||
 * Content area: || English (AP Eng, British Lit, World Lit) ||
 * FBS e-mail address: || john.dimock@k12.sd.us ||
 * FBS phone: || 670-8060 ||
 * USD supervisor || Kevin J. Reins, Phone: 605-677-5831, e-mail: kreins@usd.edu ||

Next steps: Please check off the following items by replacing the "o" with an “X” in the left hand column of the table once you have completed the task.
 * x || Upon receiving this information, respond immediately via e-mail to Dr. Kevin Reins indicating that you have received your placement information and that you have no major conflict with the placement. ||
 * x || Contact your field-based supervisor within 48 hours of receiving your placement information either by phone or e-mail. ||
 * x || During this first e-mail or phone call to your field based supervisor, ask to set up the first meeting (at your FBS’s convenience) for you to visit the classroom. ||
 * x || Upon arriving at the school, go directly to the main office, introduce yourself, the reason for your attendance, (make a great impression from the beginning) and ask to be directed to your FBS’s classroom. ||
 * x || During the first visit to the classroom, notify your FBS of the URL to your wikispace and let her/him know that you will be documenting the __requirements__ of the experience in this space. Discuss the requirements. ||
 * x || Deliver the FBS’s packet with the evaluation forms and return envelope to your field based supervisor during the first meeting. ||
 * x || Also during the first meeting, exchange phone numbers in case of emergency (edit your wikispace and put your FBS’s prefered phone number in the informatin table above), confirm your visitation times, and discuss what you will be doing in the class over the course of the 45 required hours in the classroom. ||
 * x || When convenient, introduce yourself to the principal and other faculty throughout your stay at the school. Be kind, courteous and show appreciation for the opportunity to be visiting and working with the students and faculty at the school. Always try to leave a great impression on people. ||
 * x || Within the first two visits, ask for a copy of the school handbook or ask to borrow a handbook for the semester. ||
 * x || Report to Dr. Kevin Reins via e-mail after you have completed your initial visit. Briefly describe the visit and ask any questions or state any concerns you have at this time and through the semester. ||
 * x || IF YOU MISS A SCHEDULED TIME – REPORT IT TO DR. REINS IMMEDIATELY. ALWAYS KEEP HIM INFORMED. RECORD THE DATES THAT YOU MISSED HERE. ||

= =

My goals for the internship:
Write three goals for your internship experience. (1) How do teachers learn the names of all the students, faculty, and parents? (2) Is high school or middle school education the correct fit for me? (3) How can teachers inspire students to enjoy English / Language Arts (including Grammar and classical literature)?

Post-experience reflection on my goals.
My goals were accomplished in this internship. My first goal was the first one I learned how to handle. As a person I have a difficult time keeping names straight. I found that the school helps teachers with this difficulty by having students' pictures on the attendance web pages. I also found that it was nice to be able to let students sit where they wish since the teacher could learn names in a new way. I will probably always have a few difficulties as I will still swap names in my own family, not because I don't know who my family is, but because what they are doing reminds me of someone else. But if I take the time to learn names right away in the semester, maybe I will make fewer mistakes. My second goal was to figure out if middle or high school was a better fit for me. After this experience, I realized that I could handle either branch of education. Although I will say middle school probably fits my personality better, the idea of teaching high school students no longer scares me. I also found that with the correct amount of preparation, I could even teach seniors without feeling awkward about my age versus theirs (a four year difference scared me). My third goal was to see how teachers can inspire students to enjoy language arts. I found that with the correct guidance this can be accomplished because students want to learn. One day in particular comes to mind, when the students asked to make a get well card for another student, my FBS allowed them to create this project. It allowed them to actively participate in creating a grammatically correct card while still having fun and proving the cared about other people in the class. Also in the literature classes I sat in on, I saw that students actively participated depending on the questions asked and how my FBS related stories to the students lives. I know I can do this. = =