I finally have something to report! I have just started my practicum at a local high school, and I am really excited to be back in front of a classroom. Admittedly, I didn’t have the start I hoped for. I am not from the state I go to school in, so I’m rather unfamiliar with anything outside the city. Now, combine that with my complete lack of directional skills, and you get one lost, panicked student teacher in the middle of nowhere, calling the school to cancel….Needless to say, this was not exactly the impression I wanted to leave. I guess on the plus side, I had the opportunity to practice driving on winding country roads and triple the number of cows I’ve seen in my life. I think that there are some important lessons, though, to be learned here. 1) ALWAYS look up directions, and I should invest in a map. 2) It’s important to look on the bright side and realize there will be many times in life and in the classroom that things will not go as planned. I need to stay calm and adapt.
After a pretty embarrassing first impression, the rest of my experience has been great. From the moment when I stepped into the school, I was struck by the strong sense of community. After meeting my cooperating teacher, she took me around to school to meet the librarian, nurse, counselor, and a couple other teachers she works with regularly. One of the teachers commented, “it takes a village,” and that mentality was echoed everywhere. It was clear that all of the faculty and staff are a team that works together to best help the students and support each other. This community feel spread to the students as well. I don’t know how many students my teacher greeted in the hallway as we walked around the school. She seemed to know them all not to mention their families as well. Coming from a very large high school myself, I was impressed and very pleased that everyone I met made me feel welcome in their community.
The other impression that struck me in my first experience was how positive my cooperating teacher was. With every student or faculty member I met, she mentioned something nice about them. “The nurse is so helpful. Call her whenever you have a problem.” “This student is an amazing creative writer.” “These students are great at track.” The list is endless. On my first day in the classroom, she went around the room asking students to introduce themselves to me with their names and a little bit of information about themselves, which made me feel very welcome and connected to the class right away. More than that, though, I was amazed by how she would interject with comments like, “Now don’t let him fool you, he’s a great writer. He’s so funny,” or “She is a talented photographer and is taking extra photography classes at the community college.” She knew all her students so well and always had a nice thing to say. Throughout the school day, the classroom was full of positive feedback. She was always encouraging and praising her students, and more importantly, it was all genuine. I’m sure all that positivity is crucial to create the welcoming and comfortable environment in the classroom. I left that day with some really good goals for how I want to conduct myself as a teacher.
After a pretty embarrassing first impression, the rest of my experience has been great. From the moment when I stepped into the school, I was struck by the strong sense of community. After meeting my cooperating teacher, she took me around to school to meet the librarian, nurse, counselor, and a couple other teachers she works with regularly. One of the teachers commented, “it takes a village,” and that mentality was echoed everywhere. It was clear that all of the faculty and staff are a team that works together to best help the students and support each other. This community feel spread to the students as well. I don’t know how many students my teacher greeted in the hallway as we walked around the school. She seemed to know them all not to mention their families as well. Coming from a very large high school myself, I was impressed and very pleased that everyone I met made me feel welcome in their community.
The other impression that struck me in my first experience was how positive my cooperating teacher was. With every student or faculty member I met, she mentioned something nice about them. “The nurse is so helpful. Call her whenever you have a problem.” “This student is an amazing creative writer.” “These students are great at track.” The list is endless. On my first day in the classroom, she went around the room asking students to introduce themselves to me with their names and a little bit of information about themselves, which made me feel very welcome and connected to the class right away. More than that, though, I was amazed by how she would interject with comments like, “Now don’t let him fool you, he’s a great writer. He’s so funny,” or “She is a talented photographer and is taking extra photography classes at the community college.” She knew all her students so well and always had a nice thing to say. Throughout the school day, the classroom was full of positive feedback. She was always encouraging and praising her students, and more importantly, it was all genuine. I’m sure all that positivity is crucial to create the welcoming and comfortable environment in the classroom. I left that day with some really good goals for how I want to conduct myself as a teacher.