Personal Narrative: The First Day Of Field

The first day of field marks the beginning of a new teaching experience, and for that reason, the first day of field will forever be a nerve-wracking day for me. On September 13, 2016, I, Mr. Cataldo began a new teaching journey, at Carlstadt Public School, a suburban school, in Carlstadt, New Jersey—Mrs. Mariano’s sixth-grade language arts literacy classroom. While walking through the front doors of the school, numerous questions began to come to mind, such as the following: Will Mrs. Mariano and her students feel comfortable with my presence in their classroom? Will I establish a positive relationship with Mrs. Mariano and her sixth-grade students? Albert Einstein once said, “The only source of knowledge is experience” (Albert Einstein Quotes, para.1). Today, I am fully aware that in life, one’s personal and professional experience, both good and bad, enables he or she grow as a person and more importantly as a learner. For that reason, I find it pivotal for one to realize that in life, it is normal to feel nervous, as well as make mistakes; what matters is that he or she is more than capable of transforming his or her mistakes into successes.

Mariano’s second-period class, she asked me if I would like to look at the curriculum that she uses to compose her lesson plans. The Teacher’s College Reading and Writing Project is the curriculum that Mrs. Mariano uses; the curriculum is in alignment with the Common Core State Standards. After reading over the curriculum, I got the opportunity to brainstorm some ideas in regards to the future lesson plan that I plan to teach to the students. Not to mention that I also got the chance to realize that Mrs. Mariano’s curriculum, as well as lesson plan is easy to follow—this would enable a substitute (or me) to teach the lesson. Well-written curriculums, as well as lessons plans, are pivotal, especially since an educator’s main goal is to deliver a high-quality education to all of his or her