Diving For Pearls Of Wisdom
Teaching: Semester In Review
One plus one equals two. How I have wished the formula for teaching was that easy! This semester in Normal PDS has been infinitely valuable to me. Having access to three different style mentors teaching three different grade levels at three different schools is as much a student teacher could possibly ask for. Without any filters or censorship, my mentors have shown me exactly what it is like to be a teacher. All of the ISU teaching methods classes mean nothing until you actually step into the classroom and teach.
Near the end of summer I became rapidly nervous to begin this extensive program. I worried about my social life suffering, being way too overwhelmed with lesson plans, and getting terribly stressed out from homework overload. I can verify this prophecy came true several times over. Although I have hated my life more than once during the program, the rewards of my hard work have easily validated the bad times. This has been a very special period of my young life.
There is nothing like waking up in the morning knowing you are going to make a difference in at least one person’s life that day. School is absolutely the best thing going for many of these kids. Adult support is something that is severely lacking in our homes today. Our most precious natural resource is being pushed away, ignored, and forgotten. Children need to know they are special, intelligent, and loved. I love being the one to provide this much needed care.
Being a teacher is difficult. There are plenty of other professions out there easier than being an elementary educator. In fact, they all are! During this semester I have gained a newfound respect for this profession. Terms like “differentiation”, “daily assessment”, and “standards” have really put me through the educator paces during the last 18 weeks. Although I found these aspects of my lesson plans most difficult to master, I am a better teacher now for researching solutions and contacting my colleagues to find out all I could. These are the elements a great teacher must include in their lessons every single day. There is no sense teaching if you refuse to teach correctly.
Fortunately, the future is fast approaching. January 2008 beckons the name, Mr. Michalski. I am soon ready to embark upon the second half of my student teaching journey. I will take full command of a classroom of 20 bright-eyed fourth graders. This thought simultaneously thrills and terrifies me. I am a member of the most unpredictable profession in the entire world. There is no telling what comes next. As stressful as I can let the experience become, I also need to conscientiously enjoy these fleeting moments. Asking about their new bicycle is just as important as teaching them subjects and predicates. Creating connections is something you cannot learn from a teacher’s manual. Educators make a true difference. What an honor and privilege to be at the center of a statement so wonderful.
One plus one equals two. How I have wished the formula for teaching was that easy! This semester in Normal PDS has been infinitely valuable to me. Having access to three different style mentors teaching three different grade levels at three different schools is as much a student teacher could possibly ask for. Without any filters or censorship, my mentors have shown me exactly what it is like to be a teacher. All of the ISU teaching methods classes mean nothing until you actually step into the classroom and teach.
Near the end of summer I became rapidly nervous to begin this extensive program. I worried about my social life suffering, being way too overwhelmed with lesson plans, and getting terribly stressed out from homework overload. I can verify this prophecy came true several times over. Although I have hated my life more than once during the program, the rewards of my hard work have easily validated the bad times. This has been a very special period of my young life.
There is nothing like waking up in the morning knowing you are going to make a difference in at least one person’s life that day. School is absolutely the best thing going for many of these kids. Adult support is something that is severely lacking in our homes today. Our most precious natural resource is being pushed away, ignored, and forgotten. Children need to know they are special, intelligent, and loved. I love being the one to provide this much needed care.
Being a teacher is difficult. There are plenty of other professions out there easier than being an elementary educator. In fact, they all are! During this semester I have gained a newfound respect for this profession. Terms like “differentiation”, “daily assessment”, and “standards” have really put me through the educator paces during the last 18 weeks. Although I found these aspects of my lesson plans most difficult to master, I am a better teacher now for researching solutions and contacting my colleagues to find out all I could. These are the elements a great teacher must include in their lessons every single day. There is no sense teaching if you refuse to teach correctly.
Fortunately, the future is fast approaching. January 2008 beckons the name, Mr. Michalski. I am soon ready to embark upon the second half of my student teaching journey. I will take full command of a classroom of 20 bright-eyed fourth graders. This thought simultaneously thrills and terrifies me. I am a member of the most unpredictable profession in the entire world. There is no telling what comes next. As stressful as I can let the experience become, I also need to conscientiously enjoy these fleeting moments. Asking about their new bicycle is just as important as teaching them subjects and predicates. Creating connections is something you cannot learn from a teacher’s manual. Educators make a true difference. What an honor and privilege to be at the center of a statement so wonderful.