Growing in leaps and bounds!

Looking back at my first term as a student teacher, it is amazing to see how much I have I have learned already. I remember my first day in the classroom how nervous I was. I couldn’t even imagine myself getting in front of a classroom full of students as a teacher. It’s not that I get nervous when public speaking, in fact public speaking is an asset I have as an aspiring teacher. I was nervous because of the image I have of what a teacher should be like. To me teachers were these all-knowing people who had an answer to everything. I was almost overwhelmed with the pressure of teaching. Things began to change. Through interaction with students in small groups and during work periods, I began to develop an understanding of how to communicate in a classroom setting. I felt like I was actually helping students with their learning. Was I actually teaching!?

A few weeks into my first term as a student teacher, my co-op teacher asked me if I wanted to lead a lesson. I was excited at the opportunity, but again also nervous. I didn’t really have much time to prepare and brush up on any background information. It was a History 30 article on the fur trade. My task was to read the article and explain what the author was saying. It went really well!  I read it with a good teacher voice and didn’t stumble over words. My biggest fear was sounding like a bad reader. Teachers are never bad at reading out loud. Periodically I would be given the opportunity to lead a reading or even sometimes a lecture/ note taking lesson. I could actually feel myself develop as a teacher with each time in front of a class. It was really cool!

Just last week, my last day in school for the term, I felt as if the students trusted me as their teacher. My co-op teacher was away and the class had a sub. The sub was running late, so I was given a key to the classroom by the office staff. It felt awesome! It was like a symbol of my development as a teacher. With the sub late, I began the class using the note left by the co-op teacher. I liked that feeling of being the real teacher, even if it only lasted for 5 minutes.

During all of the classes that day, the students were given work periods on upcoming essays. When the students had questions about their assignments, they came to me for help. I felt as if I had earned their trust through my role as a student teacher. I would also like to say I gave the students great advice for their papers. Many of the students were struggling with referencing in Chicago style. I happen to be a pro at this; a product of years of history paper writing. By showing them reference tips, I had real effect on the success of the students.

After reflecting on my first term, I was surprised at how much I have learnt about teaching. I’m already looking forward to my internship.