placed with such phenomenal teachers in the district. While teaching both 7th and 8th grade ELA, my placement gave me the opportunity to see and experience teaching by myself and in a co-teaching structure. As many of my students had an IEP in the majority of my classes, a co-teacher was brought in to help those students academically and emotionally. One of the things that worried me the most was how I was going to handle so many different learning styles while also adapting my teaching to fit the needs of students with IEPs. However, Andrea was able to show how easy it was, and how it is so helpful to ALL students, even if they are "gen-ed". Many of these techniques, such as giving them graphic organizers, using visuals, and repeating instructions help all students in the classroom. So really, I was worried for nothing.

    Something I did find interesting, which in the overall scheme of things I do love, is that the majority of 7th graders are boys this year. In my 4th hour, out of 22 students I only have five girls, and the rest are rambunctious boys. Trying to keep all of those boys on task while also teaching a lesson is probably one of the hardest things I have done, but it is so rewarding to watch them finally get it, or seeing them so engaged with a task that I know I picked a great lesson for them. While this is true with all of my kiddos across the board, 4th hour has very much won my heart over.

    Looking back on how I was teaching in the beginning of January and comparing it to now, I can't even see myself as the same person. Seeing how nervous I was in front of 7th and 8th graders, as well as how kind and patient they were with me, shows not only my growth, but how great these kids are. While now they are able to push my buttons and joke with me, I am able to handle it a lot better than what I would have been able to in January. However, I do know that I still have a lot to learn. I am still trying to grasp how to handle student emotions, such as moving to a new town from a different state or country, handling students with emotional baggage after a parent's death, and so much more. I am seeing students who come from so many walks of life, and while I learned about this in my program during practicum, it is so much different reading about it than experiencing it.

    Through this process, I also had to handle the pandemic in such a different way compared to traditional student teaching. I have had to deal with the struggles of technology failing during formal observations and classroom instruction. I have taught in person, hybrid and had to be a virtual teacher while my students are in the classroom. While I know this is a great experience for me, it is also emotionally draining both as a student and teacher. Even with Wyoming removing the state mask mandate, except for schools, it is so hard to plan lessons that will completely work for the virtual kids. While I hope that starting next year all students will be able to rejoin the classroom, I think it shows that even a year after the fact we are still having these complications to make connections throughout hybrid learning. While I was very lucky to have the majority of my students in my classroom, I can't image what the rest of my fellow student teachers are struggling with. Through this experience, I am genuinely hoping that we do not have to do something like this again in my teaching career.

    In the beginning of my student teaching, I was so scared that I was going to almost fail these kids because I was in there everyday with them. But by the end of all of this, I have made so many connections with them that I know that I am always going to miss them. I already have my 8th graders asking me to come back, and my 7th graders asking me if I am going to be teaching them as 8th graders next year. While teaching in the pandemic has been so challenging, such as the mask mandates, teaching in-person and online, teaching virtually while students are in the classroom, and waiting for constant updates on how schools are going to run, I wouldn't change it for anything. Andrea has been a PHENOMENAL mentor teacher, as well as her co-teachers Kristen and Britney. While I was her first student teacher in her 28 years of teaching, I am hoping that I made a positive impression on her because she is someone that I hope many more student teachers are able to experience her love for students and her passion for teaching. I could not have imagined my student teaching going better than it has.

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