UMF Portfolio Presentation

Yesterday, I attended the Student Teaching Portfolio presentations. This is a biannual event in which pre-professional teachers nearing the end of their program at UMF reflect and present on the time they spent in the field. It’s also an opportunity for other students in the program to collaborate with and get advice from these “student teachers."

The first person I spoke with was an elementary education major working in Lewiston. She shared with me the work she had done over the period of her student teaching and some resources she had found particularly helpful in her kindergarten classroom. While much of her work was specific to her concentration and not necessarily applicable, her teaching philosophy stood out to me. She built her philosophy around the Stanley Kubrick quote, "I think the big mistake in schools is trying to teach children anything, and by using fear as the basic motivation. Fear of getting failing grades, fear of not staying with your class, etc. Interest can produce learning on a scale compared to fear as a nuclear explosion to a firecracker." 

Another person I visited was a math concentration working in an elementary school. We also exchanged resources and discussed our experiences in the field. Our discussion revolved around getting to know our students. I discussed the worksheets my mentor teacher gives her students, and she showed me the letter she sent out to parents at the beginning of her placement.