It was my final week of teaching at the high school and I can't help but reflect on my experiences these past nine weeks. The music playing in the background has been the soundtrack of my time here. My CT has been such a great mentor and made my experience as well rounded as I could have hoped for. I've seen strengths in myself emerge more so than they ever had before. I have become more assertive in enforcing rules and holding students accountable for their actions. I've found my "teacher voice" and truly understood how to use it. I don't have to be loud and theatrical if that's not me (although this can help). Most of all, I learned to be myself. I may be more quiet in nature, but this can work for me. The few times I've had to raise my voice, the students fell quiet and truly listened. Then they even started "policing" each other to behave.
In the art program here, I learned of some important things to have the kids walking away knowing. Perceptual awareness. Choice. Deductive Reasoning. Self Sufficiency. These are all qualities to help build the students as a "whole". I've built good relationships with the students and they really started putting their trust in me which was a good feeling. When I respected them, they (generally) respected me back .
High school wasn't nearly as scary as I had originally anticipated and it's a great feeling knowing that I'm capable of teaching it. Even with classes I was unsure about (Fibers, Photo), I was able to learn so I could, in turn, teach the students the basics. I now have the confidence that I can do this. And my CT has become such a great resource that I know I can always come back to her if I ever need help.
Halfway done with student teaching! On to elementary school! Can you believe that this is making me nervous now?
No comments:
Post a Comment