“What have I learned about becoming a teacher?”

What a broad question that is. If I could narrow it down to one thing it would be that I enjoy teaching even more than I thought I would. I came into this program knowing that I was in the right place. However, I did enter with some trepidation regarding my teaching ability. The thought of a practicum where I would need to stand in front of the class and TEACH terrified me. What if my students didn’t listen? What if I was terrible? What if I failed? These were the questions that were in my mind as I entered that first Faculty Advisor meeting. Needless to say I did not ask these questions out loud.

Once I got into the practicum itself, the nervousness that I had felt began to dissipate. There were moments during the short practicum where I actually began to enjoy myself and feel at home. These feelings extended into the long practicum as I got into the pattern of teaching, planning, and revising each day. I became invested in my students, tried my best to help them achieve success. I looked forward to coming into school and photocopying for the day. This isn’t to say that the experience was easy. It was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do. Never in my life did I have that much responsibility. Although it was hard work, it never stopped being fulfilling. As I reflect upon my experience, I realize the thing I’ve learned is that I am exactly where I want to be.

Lingering Questions:

The biggest question for me is to figure out where to go from here. How do I improve further without having a mentor observe me? How can I become a more successful teacher? Where can I get more resources? Will I still retain the desire to be better as I become fully immersed in my teaching career? I have the intention to improve, but I’m not sure of the method just yet.

For this issue I will defer to the words of my school advisor. “Take Professional Development wherever it is found“. The workshops that I’ve attended this year have all been wonderful opportunities. To have a chance to learn, emulate, and adapt from voices of experience can only help me contribute further to my success.