The Full Story
*(Please click on images for a closer and deeper look!)*
Midtown East 57th Street: Student Teacher (2018-2019)
My attendance at City College as a graduate student started when I was looking to get something more from my life. After working with families as an Early Intervention Service Coordinator for close to 7 years, I realized that I wanted to make a much more direct impact on children. I was fortunate enough to be placed with cooperating and experienced teacher, Francisca Puello in her Pre-K Class during my student teaching experience in 2019. With her guidance, I was provided the opportunity to lead small groups and feel and be supported all through out! I learned that children come with experiences that can be used as learning opportunities to deliver new information and teach new skills. I am adding this Student Teaching section because it was essential to my start at the District 2 Pre-K Centers.
Image: Francisca Puello (left) and Ambar Jimenez (right) with Lillian Weber Awards in hand at CUNY City College Award Ceremony 2019
The Lillian Weber Award:
Awarded by CUNY City College
When working with cooperating teacher, Francisca Puello, my City College student teacher supervisor/professor, came in periodically to observe me in classroom. This award was a lovely surprise for my cooperating teacher and I! We were delighted to be informed of it and attended the ceremony together at City College to elegantly receive this award as partners in this work of education. As a teacher in training, I was beyond honored and learned that my contribution to the classroom was providing many opportunities for student learning. My cooperating teacher, Mrs. Puello, also ensured that I was supported to lead small groups that targeted objectives that targeted each student's needs. This collaboration not only brought upon this award but it also made me realize how my power of teaching moved and challenged students in a developmentally appropriate way.
Playdough Name Play
Name play is an essential part of literacy development and these children's interests in play dough provided me with an avenue to create a small group activity that involved play dough. Children were invited to create their name by molding and shaping the letters using their hands and other play dough tools. With this activity, children's flexibility was strengthen and they started to explore their own names with other classroom materials in the centers available to them such as the Block Center.
Stop, Roll & Move!
With this activity, children took turns in rolling the die, and do a movement that many number of times! We engaged in a lot of jumping, spinning of arms and dancing as we counted and moved! With this activity, I was supported by my cooperating teacher, Mrs. Puello, to target Math objectives. Students were able to demonstrate how they can count as they moved. I was also able to motive children to become great mathematicians and dancers, movers, and groovers!
Block Center: Alphabet Knowledge
With this small group activity, I invited children in the Block Center to create the letters in their name by using the materials located inside of the Block Center. I encouraged social emotional development as they worked in pairs and negotiated which items to use as the Block Center had loose parts and wood blocks inside.