Before my Placement Began
Going into teaching is a profession where nothing is predictable. Even before I start my placement I am well aware of how random any given day is and how many distractions may arise, that’s why I have always prioritized flexibility and time-management.
I also strongly believe in using an honest approach with students. Being open and honest with students about why we are learning a specific topic is very important for students to develop an interest in learning.
Patience is also a key trait that I know I bring to the table. My patience comes from always reminding myself that 99% of the time students are doing things intrusively and that they do not yet have much control over their behaviors. So getting frustrated and upset with them will not help those students develop the capacity to control those behaviors, all it does is create a divide between teacher and student.
Lastly, I want to mention how difficult I know this job will be. I am not going into this profession to take the easy road like many people believe teaching to be. What I believe the hardest part of teaching will be, but also the most important, is to be able to give each student the individual attention they deserve. I understand the life of a teacher is a busy and fast-paced one, but even then it is imperative for the future of each student that they aren’t just looked at as another student but that they are understood and heard. It was my teachers doing this for me growing up that led me to be able to succeed so I know first-hand how important this is for students.
After my Year 1 Placement
Now that my Year 1 Placement is complete I feel much more confident as a teacher. Being able to work in a Grade 1 classroom allowed me to experience a students first time in a full-time learning environment. With kindergarten being play based learning. Grade 1 is most students first time reading, writing, counting and adding. Teaching these basic concepts from scratch was something that made me realize how much work and energy really goes into teaching.
I also hadn’t realized the differences of levels in each individual students learning. I had some students who only knew the letter sound of the first letter of their name, and at the same time students who could read at a grade 3 level. Balancing activities to be able to incorporate all these vast learning levels was a challenge that I did not expect would be as difficult as it was.
Routine was another thing that stood out to me. I always knew routine was important but the extent that I saw the students completely thrown off on days where routine had to be adjusted because of holidays or assemblies or drills. We could only plan more difficult lessons on days we knew the routine wouldn’t be interrupted. Even the easier plans we had planned were difficult to do when routine was thrown out of order. I wonder if routine is so dire because they are younger or if this is something that is consistent throughout grade school.
I spoke of patience before going into placement. And I do still very much agree with what I said before. But saying that and following through with staying patient has proven to be a challenge. Overall, I realize most of what I was expecting was realistic. The only difference was the extent to which those realities challenged me was far greater than I ever expected.
After my Year 2 Placement
My second year placement took place in a grade 4 classroom. The dynamic here, as opposed to my grade 1’s last year, was vastly different. The first thing I noticed was that although students needed routine the significance of that routine is far less than what it was in grade 1.
The biggest difference in this class was the drama. Students often had problems with each other and were not scared to voice their opinions about each other in a less than productive way. The drama was about the same things you would see in a grade 1 classroom, but the students now think they know how to handle this issues themselves and often end up making the situation even worse. Self-regulation has proven to be much more valuable of a skill for students not just for learning but for socializing with other students and teacher.
This year I also got to see much of the behind the scenes work. P.D.’s, Report Card writing, grading assignments, creating rubrics, parent teacher conferences, lesson planning running sports teams, special education and remedial. I had heard about all these parts of schools and assumed that in time I’d gain experience with all of them. I didn’t expect for this placement to give me an in-depth experience with every single part of how a school runs. There is of course much more that I learned that I haven’t listed but the sheer volume of moving pieces is expansive.
After my second year placement I am grateful to say I am fully prepared to take on the teaching world. Even though I learned very quickly how overwhelming this job can be, my passion has not faded as I adapted to that business efficiently.