As I begin my yearlong journey of student teaching there are
a lot of thoughts running through my head. I’m excited to one day (very soon!) have
my own classroom and make my own decisions about what is taught in my class.
I’m excited to make my lessons as informative and engaging as I can, but I’m
apprehensive that I won’t cover everything my students need to know or that
I’ll be known as the boring teacher. I want to find a balance between my anal
retentive tendencies and my too laid back demeanor at times. With these
thoughts and many many more, I have several goals I hope to meet, or be
actively working towards, by the end of my time as a student teacher.
One of my goals, which can apply both professionally and
academically, is to accept the fact that I will make mistakes. There will be
times where I don’t know the answer, times when I say something out of place,
and times when my lesson doesn’t go as planned. I don’t want this to happen,
but the sooner I accept that this is an inevitability of life, the sooner I can
breathe a little easier. I want to be able to take these instances and learn
from my mistakes to become a better teacher and person. I have already asked my
mentor teacher how she feels about situations like this, and by following her
example hopefully I will eventually be okay with this.
Another goal is to become more comfortable with being
uncomfortable. I know that sounds contradictory (or like an oxymoron), but I
know there will be times when I’m not sure exactly what my plan is or what I
should be doing, or there may be a situation that prevents me from doing my
planned lesson. When situations like that do arise I don’t want to be completely
thrown off course, so my goal is to become better at accepting I may need to
adjust on the spot. My mentor
teacher asked me how willing I would be to present a lesson she handed to me
that same morning, and I immediately felt uncomfortable with the prospect. I
like to plan out everything to a T, but there will be times when I won’t be
able to do this as a teacher so now is the time to start practicing.
In regards to my students, my goal is to build relationships
with them and learn from them just as much as they’ll be learning from me. I
want to get to know each student and be able to bring their cultures and
backgrounds into my class to make them more comfortable and to make my
curriculum more relevant. I also want to find a common ground between being an
authority figure and being someone who can be trusted. It’s important for me to
find a way to become that authority figure so the students respect me and take
me seriously. But, I also want every student to know they can come ask me
anything they need to and that I’m always willing to listen.
There’s so much to do this year and not a lot of time to do
it. While it may seem daunting and I may get overwhelmed, I know I have the tools and resources at my disposal to become an awesome teacher. I just have to take it one step at a time.
This was a great read! I can relate to your worries! This year, I have gotten better at "becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable", but I still struggle with it. Stepping outside of our comfort zones is so scary! The adrenaline rush throughout the class period is so worth it for the feeling I get afterwards! I feel a sense of accomplishment when I follow through with an activity that made me nervous, or when I speak to a student that seemed a bit intimidating...ya know? Also, making mistakes is the worst...but from my experiences, it is usually the worst in our eyes. It sounds like we have that in common! We are our worst critics! This year is going to so much fun, and I am glad we are on the journey together!
ReplyDeleteKimberly, I love your can-do attitude! Most interns are uncomfortable with the prospect of teaching a lesson their MT designed and then handed to them immediately before class begins—and I typically don’t recommend this practice. I applaud your positive attitude and your willingness to look at this as a learning experience—one where you might make mistakes or feel uncomfortable, but also where you can stretch your capacity and grow as a teacher. Bravo! You got this.
ReplyDelete