What do you hope to learn from your practicum experience?
September 2013.
What I hope to take from my practicum is an increase in my confidence when it comes to standing in front of students teaching. I also hope to learn tactics and methods to introduce a difficult topic, and strategies to allow students to use their funds of knowledge and increase their learning. In addition I hope to learn techniques and activities that I can use in my own classroom. I believe the most important part of the practicum is to gain experience that can be used in the future and I hope I can learn and absorb as much information that I can use in my own classroom as I finish the Bachelor’s of Education Program.
What did you learn from your practicum experience?
July 2014.
From my practicum, I learned more than I can express. From the minute I set foot in my classroom, I felt as though I was learning every minute of every day. I learned how to control a classroom, use the teacher look effectively, allow for wait time, control my emotions, balance a healthy lifestyle as well as numerous strategies for effective teaching. Most importantly I learned that lessons, activities, assessments and discussions do not always go as planned. Yes you write a day plan, have a set lesson plan, but it is 100% guaranteed that there will be changes made to the day plan, and adaptations made to the lesson plan. As the days went by, I quickly found that you cannot always have everything planned to the minute, and sometimes it is ok to go with the flow and the mood of the class. 
Near the end of my practicum, there was a sense of accomplishment, as well as a sad goodbye. The hardest part of leaving was leaving the school community. As the weeks went by, I felt a part of the school community, as well I felt as though I had created a community in my classroom. Saying goodbye was very difficult, but as one of my students puts it, “it is not goodbye, until next time.”
How do you plan on growing?
As an educator, I will continue to establish a community, and welcome all into my classroom. I would like to enhance my own language skills, to therefore incorporate as many different languages in my classroom. I would like to attend and develop my own professional development on importance of building a community. This will allow me to enhance my own practice and collaborate and share with other individuals.