3 confessions of a student teacher

“I'd like to be a bigger and more knowledgeable person 10 years from now than I am today. I think that, for all of us, as we grow older, we must discipline ourselves to continue expanding, broadening, learning, keeping our minds active and open.”

-Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood is a famous actor and I'm sure this quotation refers to his discipline, however i find it extremely applicable to teaching as well. I learned throughout this block that i'm not going to be perfect the first time around. i would describe myself as a perfectionist but my biggest mistake going into this placement was assuming that every lesson i worked hard on would go well. this does not happen! i work hard on every lesson, however no matter the amount of preparation i put into it, sometimes it'll just be a crappy (excuse my french) day! but these are the days you learn the most from. and it's important to understand that right now i'm at the bottom. i'm working my hardest, but i have little experience... and this is ok! as i continue on to my second block, and start my teaching career i will get better and better. like clint said, the important thing is to allow ourselves to continue to expand and learn and keep our minds open to new experiences. teaching is also a learning process and i definitely learned that i'm nowhere near perfect!

“Be yourself. No one can ever tell you you're doing it wrong.”
- annoynmous

there are days where everything that could go wrong will go wrong. however, one thing that will always go right is you being the teacher you are. if everyday you go into class as yourself and run things and teach the things the way you want to, then you can gaurantee that you're doing at least one thing right! holding yourself back and teaching the way you think the "books" say you should teach, or imitating another teacher robs the students because they are not getting the chance to see your real personality and you are robbing yourself of time to shine. just be yourself because no one is as good at it as you are!

“As we grow as unique persons, we learn to respect the uniqueness of others.”

teaching is a profession which allows you to work with a variety of different people. respecting each and every person you work with is the key to building successful relationships. respect your students- each one will be different. they will each have their strengths, weaknesses and special talents. praise each of them and show them respect as they will show you respect too. respect your colleagues- often you do not have a choice of who you work with, but if you can respect other colleagues and value their opinion then you can form a professional relationship. finally, respect yourself- have confidence that this is the right profession for you and that you can teach the students to the best of your ability.