The single most important trait of a good teacher is possessing the ability to ADAPT to different situations.  For most of my life, I have planned out everything to the detail.  These plans were meant to guide me and remove any risk of unwanted surprises.  Of course, as the saying goes, “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry”. Robert Burns couldn’t have said it better.   I will never forget the moment when I read how the mouse’s home was upturned and ruined by the human plow.  You can plan and plan and plan but things often turn out to be different.  I was saddened for the mouse and saddened for me.  I was in Grade 12 and on my way to university next year.  What if my life plans go astray?  What will I possibly do?

Luckily, over the years, I have learned to adapt to different situations.  Changes are thrown at you and you must respond by thinking quickly on your feet.  One wrong move and you’re a goner…especially on practicum.  I have seen some students shine and some go down in flames.  What makes for a successful practicum?  There are a number of factors that will affect whether or not a teacher candidate will succeed, scrape by, or fail.  I’ve boiled it down to the following variables.

1. SA & FA

2. Students in the class

3. What you’re teaching

4. Where you’re teaching

5. Personality

6. Administrators

7. Connections

8. Flexibility

Simply put, who you work with and where you work are EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.  If you happen to have a personality conflict with your SA, FA, Administrator, or fellow colleague, be prepared for rough waters.  No matter how hard you try, working with people who you do not agree with will wear you down over the course of 10 weeks.  The biggest milestone however, is making it to 5 weeks.  Psychologically, if you can overcome 5 weeks and hit spring break, you’re good to go for the last half of practicum.  Of course, this is all internal and when it comes down to it, YOU are the only thing standing in YOUR way of succeeding at your practicum.  If you happen to be tired all the time, prone to breakdowns, have a difficult time dealing with stress-inducing situations, then it may prevent you from doing well during your practicum.  I can speak for myself.  Sometimes, I lack the proper motivation to get me out of bed and teach.  This is the honest truth.  I am not perfect and I am often tired.  I am tired from worrying.  I worry a heck of a lot.  What separates me from those who will flounder is the fact that no matter what, I will always bring myself to work and do my very best.  Even if you’ve had a rough day (or night), you go to work being the professional that you are supposed to be.  Treat the students with respect and remember that you are here to help them learn.  Do what YOU can to light the flame of imagination in their minds.  I am reminded fairly often that I am here, in this program, at this school and with these students because I wanted to EDUCATE and GUIDE the younger generation.  Perhaps I have an idealistic view of what art education can  do for the children but my intentions are honest.

This post was inspired by the need for me to change my lesson plans last minute.  Last week I was told that I was losing one class and today I was told that I needed to cut the first Photo class in half to give time for some students to process film.  This film should have been processed in the last class.  I was a bit frustrated at the fact that I needed to change my plans minutes before I actually teach it.  How do I modify something that I spent hours planning? Luckily I was able to shift things around and make it work but it really showed me how much flexibility a teacher needs.  Be prepared but most of all, be prepared to be FLEXIBLE!