Karla+Journal+6

==The time I spent at West High in Mankato went a lot faster than I ever imagined it would. Before the field experience started, I was very overwhelmed with the amount of paperwork that was due, and was pretty positive I would never finish. Due to careful planning, I was able to end my field experience with all of my work complete and ready to hand in. In the first week, Sarah and I jumped right in and did our first lesson, and I feel it was very successful. I feel because we were so confident and well prepared, we were able to overcome any fears that we had about the new environment. Each week, we planned time to do a certain amount of paperwork so that we would keep up with our work and stay on track.== ==One major thing I learned from the field experience is how ahead of yourself you really have to be. We had to plan our lessons weeks ahead of time in order to get everything in order. We also had to gather materials, plan trips, and do a lot of laminating. Sarah and I had time to do these things because we were not teaching every class, but when we are teaching, we need to make time to complete these tasks.== ==Laurie Hagberg is someone I really admire. She works her tail off and is very organized and I could only hope to be half the teacher she is. If she was not as prepared for class, the FACS program at West High would not be what it is today. She takes extra time to make each assignment have meaning and serious learner outcomes. I can name many teachers who do not take the time to do this, and I know I am going to have to work very hard to even come close to her abilities.== ==I very much enjoyed my time at West High. I miss the students already. I feel that I was able to connect with the students very well and they were very respectful to me. I thought I wouldn't like seniors but I loved the challenge. One major thing I noticed about myself is that I was very happy being at the High School. Many of my classmates even pointed out how energetic I was, and how they couldn't believe how happy I was. This is how I know I am going into the right career field.==