255 Practicum Experience

This semester for 255, everyone was required to fulfill at least ten hours of community service or practicum throughout the semester. Before realizing I had to do this, I had already volunteered to be a Teacher's Assistant for Ms. Cahill's Self Defense course that I took last semester. I volunteered for this because I really believe in self-defense and that children should be educated about easy maneuvers that could possibly save their life.

Being exposed to self defense for a second semester has had a great impact on me as a learner. I feel so much more knowledgeable after this semester because I was able to apply the information I learned as a student and reinforce it by helping other students learn being in a teacher's position.

All of the students in the class were great to work with. Everyone was very respectful and you could tell they all wanted to be there to learn. As the semester progressed, I was able to have the opportunity to see all of them grow as learners, but also as people. It was easy to notice that a lot of them matured through out the semester. I also got to know some of the students on a more personal level because I was in other classes with some of them. I was able to participate a lot in the classroom by doing things such as taking attendance, helping test skills and even lead warm ups. As the semester went on I also become more comfortable with the class. The first time I led a warm-up I was very anxious about how I would be perceived by the class, because everyone is basically the same age, or older than me. The entire class was always supportive of my participation in the classroom and by the middle of the semester I was confident and comfortable with the class. Overall, being able to take part in this experience was very rewarding because I love knowing that I can help someone learn and grow.