Brandon Eastman started student teaching for Dr. Finnie’s Spanish 2 and Mrs. Holder’s Spanish 3 classes on Jan. 5. At first he just observed the class and the teachers, but now he’s gradually worked his way up to teaching the class on his own.
“Now he teaches all of [class] and Dr. Finnie leaves the room,” said freshman Piper Noblit, a Spanish 2 student. “We do a lot of activities and start every day off with a verb conjugation activity.”
Eastman has been in charge of activities to start and end the class period since the beginning of the semester. No matter what his daily duties are, he greatly appreciates how enlightening the experience is for him.
“I have learned so much from my experiences in the classroom, each day is completely different based on how my students and I interact,” Eastman said in an email interview.
Throughout his experience so far this semester, Eastman has loved getting to know his students and teaching them everything he can, in whatever way works the best for him and his students.
“You can tell Mr. Eastman is really passionate about teaching students,” said sophomore Ellie Harkins, also a Spanish 2 student. “And not only just doling out information, but also teaching us about different cultures and real world events.”
For Eastman, the best part about student teaching is having an impact on his students in any way he can.
“During my time here at SME I have an opportunity to impact the students that I teach. That is my passion,” Eastman said. “To impart something that I have learned or discovered, not always Spanish related, is what I value most in my time here as a teacher and I hope to continue that throughout the different journeys and adventures in my life.”