Jennifer Downey is a third grade teacher at Our Lady Mount Carmel. I completed my cadet teaching trimester junior year in her third grade classroom. She taught me so much about genuine student-teacher relationships and the importance of loving the child first and teaching them second. Mrs. Downey is such a huge role model in my life and serves as someone I am able to look up to. Her view of education and her personal educator identity inspires me to be the best possible teacher I can be! She is someone who truly exemplifies the importance and the beauty of education. I had the chance to meet in person with Mrs. Downey over thanksgiving break at OLMC. I emailed her the questions ahead of time to give her a sense of what I wanted to talk about but we had a great meeting full of questions and wisdom! I am so lucky to know her and to have the opportunity to learn from her.
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What attracted you to elementary education vs. middle/secondary?Being an elementary education major, I wanted to be sure to talk to Mrs. Downey about her draw / passion towards elementary education versus the older grades. Mrs. Downey said that she feels comfortable with the age level of the elementary kids. She said that middle/secondary could never be for her- something that I personally feel as well. She loves the eagerness that the young ones still have for learning and also put a large emphasis on the fact that she is still able to shape the little minds of her students. She loves having the ability to watch them grow and to play a large, influential role in that growth.
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How does technology play a role in your classroom?Technology does not play a large role in Mrs. Downey's classroom as she teaches third grade. However, each classroom at OLMC has a "BENQ" in their classroom (as seen in the picture below). The BENQ serves a digital whiteboard that is linked to her computer. She uses it to project various images and lessons and it helps with the interactive piece of learning. She also has a cart with 6 different Ipads that the students use during "centers." There are educational apps on them as well as ALEKS (math program). OLMC is a part of NWEA (map testing) and I learn / I read as well. The kiddos also go to a computer class (during "specials") once a week where they learn to type / navigate technology!
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How has your experience been at a Catholic/private school?Mrs. Downey started out her student teaching at an Indianapolis public school and later got her first job at Saint Andrews (an inner-city school). Although she was glad that she had the experience of a more urban school setting, she is happy to have ended up at Our Lady Mount Carmel. She has now worked at OLMC for 20 years. She said she is so thankful to have come across this school. She fell in love with the aspect of Catholic education and loves the comfort that she feels there.
Things you did not expect / felt unprepared for prior to being a teacher?The biggest thing that Mrs. Downey said that she felt unprepared for was time management. She focused a lot on the planning part of education and how a teacher can never truly know it all. As much as you plan and time out your lesson, it will never go as planned. She also said that parent communication was something that she was not immediately ready for but something that you will adapt to along the way. Classroom management and expectations was another big thing for her. She said you can not fully teach these kids without the proper classroom management and that comes with time. She emphasized the fact that you a good teacher does not need to raise her voice to control her classroom- I absolutely loved this! She also said that it is crucial to plan out your classroom expectations from day 1 and to have the kids be a part of the process- it will help them feel involved and accountable!
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What role does diversity play in your classroom?Diversity does not play a huge role in Mrs. Downey's classroom. Applications are required to get into OLMC so most kids are pretty similar- Catholic and coming from similar family backgrounds. In terms of diverse learners, Mrs. Downey's current class does not have any behavioral issues but she does have one student with severe dyslexia / ADHD in which the school / parents are working tirelessly to give him the best possible resources.
Mrs. Downey's current classroom setup |