Student Teaching Experience Reflection

 

            Over the past three months, my educational philosophy has evolved and strengthened.  My belief that schools should nurture the whole child was reinforced just as my belief that teachers have an unimaginable influence over their pupils was.  I have witnessed the care that teachers and administrators show towards each and every pupils at Baao Central School.  The importance placed on each individual pupils was refreshing and sometimes overwhelming.  This is something that I respect and admire about the staff at Baao Central School.  They work tirelessly to reach all learners, even if this means spending extra time brainstorming ways to do so, differentiating for students, or spending extra time, outside of class, with pupils.

            My classroom management style has most definitely evolved throughout this time.  I adapted my style to fit that of my cooperating teacher’s.  It took me a bit to feel comfortable doing so, but as a result, I feel much more aware of what is going on in the classroom than I did at the beginning of the off-campus teaching.  In the beginning, I was largely focused on building connections with my pupils.  Once I started teaching, my focus transitioned to that of making sure my instruction and expectations were clear and direct.  Once I became comfortable with my instruction, I began to focus more on individual pupils that I knew were struggling, and my classroom management as a whole. This is often something that sets veteran teachers apart from first year teachers

Something I did not expect from my student teaching experience is the benefit of the team structure of Baao Central School.  Knowing what teachers to check-in with about a Student Teacher was very helpful.  Some days we would give each other a heads up about the behavior of specific Student Teachers or discuss what strategies do and do not work.  This internal support system is just one reason that I love the Baao Central Family.  I immediately felt welcomed onto Team Baao Central Family and continuously learned things from them.  Their willingness to provide advice and support me in any way possible was comforting and helped me to get the most out of my student teaching experience as possible.  

           No matter what grade level or class I am teaching, I want to be able to confidently say that my educational instruction not only follows the new Common Core Standards, but also exceeds them.  I have always been passionate about providing pupils with real world applications to demonstrate the relevance of what they are currently learning. All these were taught by Mrs. Diana B. Britanico my Cooperating Teacher when I was in grade 2.  .

            Throughout my student teaching experience, I have learned of some responsibilities that I did not necessarily think of before this experience.  That being said, I know that when I have a classroom of my own, I will have an additional set of responsibilities that student teaching may not have fully prepared me for.  The changing environment of this job is something that excites me and I know that I will always be learning and growing as a professional, instructor, mentor, facilitator and more.

 
            I feel very blessed to have received a placement at Baao Central School for my student teaching experience.  More specifically, I am fortunate to have been paired with my cooperating teacher, worked with the other teachers and therefore had the privilege to teach a wonderful group of graders over the past three months.  As I wrap-up my student teaching, I am shocked at how fast this time went, thrilled to be this much closer to being a “REAL” teacher, and grateful for every experience that prepared me for a classroom of my own. "Good Teacher is Bad Teacher" A simple saying that I will bring to my journey in life.