My co-teacher has been mentoring the wife of one of the upper school teachers, Mrs. H; she's currently working toward her teaching credential. This week is her lead teaching, and she's reached out to me several times since she knows I can relate to the student teaching experience! This morning she came in and sat down to ask a few questions, and she got a bit teary. She apologized profusely, but I assured her that there was no need for apologies! My own student teaching is still fresh in my mind, and it's truly an emotional roller coaster -- Mrs. H agreed.
Not long ago I read this article, and I related to it so deeply. It and my recent experiences with Mrs. H led me to reflect on my own teacher preparation. I had two absolutely amazing mentors in the classroom during my student teaching, and I wouldn't be the educator I am today without their wisdom and guidance. Alongside them, I'd worked with three incredible professors at my college who were endlessly supportive and patient from day one.
The teacher education program at my college demanded incessant reflection. At first, these reflections seemed annoying and a waste of time. As I moved through the program, I came to understand their importance and value them. I saved them all on my computer and recorded activities I liked, questions I grappled with, management strategies to keep in my back pocket, and classroom decorations I hoped to emulate. Now as a teacher, I am constantly metacognitive. I think back on each aspect of my lesson and think of what I could do differently and better to serve my students. A teacher is never done learning.
During my student teaching, I remember being completely overwhelmed on my first day. I watched in awe as Mrs. M led her students through their daily routine, chatted with her best friend as she wolfed down lunch (that day I learned teaching makes you SO HUNGRY), attended an RTI meeting, ran reading assessments, and prepared parent communication to send home. She had me sit with her during small group lessons and debriefed with me during recesses and preps on what she was doing with each student and where they were academically. Mrs. V did the same thing when I joined her three weeks later. They invited me to faculty meetings, grade-level meetings, recess duty, field trips, parent-teacher conferences, report card writing, and professional development. I was a part of everything they did.
But that wasn't all. Each of them gave me about three days to sit and watch and assist with individual and small group work, then had me start teaching lessons. Mrs. M gave me a full day of lead teaching in my third week. Mrs. V added pieces one at a time -- morning meeting every other day, one reading group per day, and math once a week; then every morning meeting, two guided reading groups, and half the math instruction. By the time my supported lead teaching came around, it was a relatively seamless transition. I got to plan lessons, manage transitions, reflect on my students' successes and where I'd fallen short.
I am a teacher -- a good teacher -- because of my college and my mentors. I am still in touch with all of them, and express my gratitude at every opportunity. Even though I have officially been able call myself a teacher since receiving my license in July, I will never be the perfect teacher. I will never be done learning. My students have so much to teach me every day, as do their parents, my colleagues, and my supervisors. As much as I am a perfectionist in some areas, I've learned to be patient with myself as a teacher. The perfect is the enemy of the good, and I am constantly improving. I hope one day soon, when I have grown into the kind of teacher I really want to be, I can return to that same school and mentor young aspiring teachers from my college. I only hope I can support them as well as my advisors did me.
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Currently reading: I am inundated in book recommendations from students!! Can't wait to check out the school book fair tomorrow :)
Current high: first day of my Theatre and Improv Games exploratory today was SO MUCH FUN
Current low: at work 6:45am - 7:45pm, just having dinner at 9pm
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