Amanda McHugh's Blog

In my elementary field placement, we, my teaching group, were given the opportunity to teach 6th grade health. For those of you who are education majors, this was not your typical health opportunity. We were given 25 minutes to do a complete lesson with a class containing 46 students. Our topic was the nervous system, we had to incorporate technology, and we wanted to add a brain break. This was a lot to accomplish in a short amount of time. We put together a Google Slides presentation, and did a reaction time activity for our brain break. The students were engaged the entire class, and enjoyed our brain break. Of course, the classroom was a little hectic at times, but we managed to make it through. My favorite part of the lesson was the end, not because the lesson was over, but because of all the questions the students had wanting to know more about the nervous system and how it works.

I work at Under Armour at the Grove City outlets, and this past weekend we had a VIP coupon that could be used on top of our store sale. The entire store was going to be 40% off, so I imagined the store being busy all weekend, but I didn't expect the turnout that we had. If anyone else has ever worked in retail, you know how difficult it can be at times. Retail has taught me to be patient and calm as much as possible. Not only were there a lot of people with huge orders, but there were also people who needed items ordered online. My patience was tested when I looked up items online for a customer, and then they decided they didn't want those items after they found out they couldn't use their coupon. Of course I wanted to walk away and not help them anymore, but I kept my cool and wished them a nice evening. My favorite part of the day is when the customers are gone and the store is closed, but then you see the aftermath of a busy weekend when the dust clears. Working in ret...

Today I had my first solo teaching opportunity for 452. I had the privilege of teaching having a positive sense of self, and parachute activities to 1st graders. I had them repeat this phrase, "I am smart. I am strong. I am brave." We repeated this phrase 3 times in a row, getting louder and louder each time. By the third time, all of the students were screaming the words with power, and hitting the floor. It was clear that these words were building inside of them. The parachute activities where a lot of fun. We made a mountain and did mountain climbers to get to the top, we pretended the parachute was an elevator, and we did a color run underneath the parachute. Overall, the day was a success, and the students started building a positive sense of self. I am looking forward to my next lessons.