September Mentor Meeting Reflection

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On Monday September the ninth I met with my mentor, Mrs. Milligan, my APUSH teacher at
Central High School. She’s been teaching for three years. I chose Mrs. Milligan because she
conducts her class very well, the class is almost always organized, and she seems to really care
about her students’ education and well being. During our meeting we discussed the challenges and
the environment that the classroom can present. She teaches both grade level and advanced
placement classes, each with their own perks and challenges. Interacting with the students and
being able to connect with them and to see them grow from class are a few of the things she enjoys
about teaching all of her classes. In her AP classes she finds that keeping them all on the same page
a challenge because there are so many people who are on different academic levels. In grade level
classes she finds maintaining a balance between making sure the kids feel comfortable in her class
but also not letting things get out of hand an obstacle. Even though it was just the first meeting I
learned a lot about how to interact with students and what to expect from teaching in a high school
classroom. I didn’t realize that there was so much more to teaching, it's a lot more about finding a
balance between connecting with the kids and making sure they are getting the information they need
to learn from your class rather than just lecturing. After this meeting I will definitely be more aware
of what is happening in a classroom, especially when we go to shadow different schools. 

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