Submitted by Melissa Rosales on the 2019 winter session program in Barbados sponsored by the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences and the Department of Hospitality Business Management…
My experience in my placement is meeting my expectations thoroughly. I am so happy and privileged to be able to make a difference in the lives of school children. I am excited that I am learning how to work with the faculty at my school, not just the children, because they are giving me another perspective on Barbados culture and school systems. There is one teacher that I observed for two days that has been very understanding and accommodating. She does not want me to leave without being “well-rounded”. She has sent me to watch the children’s gym class, in addition to religious education and music class. I am relieved that I am not just observing one teacher during my placements, and that I can observe four teachers, all with children in the same age group known at my school as “Infants A”, which encompasses 5-year-olds. I am thankful that I am being exposed to different teaching styles and the differences seen in the children’s responsiveness and behavior. If anything could enhance my experience, it would be having the opportunity to see other age groups and the differences particularly in the older children’s behavior compared to the younger children, and whether differences in teaching styles in older age groups create differences in the children’s behavior. My assumption would be that the older children know how to properly behave by now, so differences in teaching styles would not have such a significant impact. However, I might not know for sure until I have the privilege to observe the older students. Overall, I am happy with what I have learned so far, and I am looking forward to learning more throughout this program and the rest of my life.