During the Spring of 2021, I completed my student teaching semester. My time was split in half – 7 weeks teaching 6th grade math at Powhatan Middle School and 6 weeks teaching Kindergarten at Powhatan Elementary School.
The main takeaway that I got out of these placements was confidence in the classroom and in my decision to become a teacher. Going into student teaching I was nervous because I had never done it on my own before. And while I am still nervous to have my own classroom, I know that I have what it takes to be a teacher because of all the things I learned this semester.
One of the great things about my first placement was that it was block schedule, which meant I had many chances to practice and perfect a lesson. It also gave me the chance to try it on my own before my cooperating teacher gave me tips and pointers. For example, I was introducing ratios to sixth grade. I had all of the activities, formative assessments, and behavior management strategies planned. When it came time to teach, I started the activity and explained ratios as I went. After the lesson, I did not feel good about it. I honestly could not put my finger on what went wrong, but I know the students did not get the best instruction that they could. My cooperating teacher asked me what I could have done better, and then suggested that I explain ratios on the board and have the students practice before the activity. DUH! I have done this so many times during my undergraduate classes. I do, we do, you do. I was frustrated with myself for not doing that the first time, but then realized that this is how I grow in my teaching. I took my cooperating teacher’s advice the next block, and it worked out perfectly. Sometimes things have to go wrong first in order to learn from them. The ability to practice lessons multiple times has given me an extra boost of confidence in my teaching.
My second placement, Kindergarten, was very different than my first placement. One of the main events that boosted my confidence was having the students engage with something else in order to get myself back on track. It was a Friday afternoon and my cooperating teacher was out, so we had a substitute. Towards the end of the day, I had run out of things picked out to do, and was struggling with what to do next. I looked at the substitute and asked, “Is it okay for them to have free time for thirty minutes?” She said, “Yes, they’re kindergarteners.” Students need time for themselves, no matter the age. It is not fair to have them work, work, work all day long with no breaks. In the future, if I have a moment of panic, I know that I can have them color, draw, read, etc. for a few minutes while I figure out what to do next.
Below is the powerpoint of my Senior Capstone Project. This project had me outline the CAEP standards (student teaching SOL’s) and provide proof that I applied each one during student teaching. The project really helped me to gain confidence because it literally showed how I have already implemented all of the important parts of teaching. If I did it once, I can do it again!