My experience as a student teacher is one that I will never forget. I recall being a nervous wreck the night before, worrying about the upcoming semester. I had heard from various classmates who had already gone through it, describing it as a very tiring but rewarding experience. I was ready to tackle the obstacles and go through my student teaching experience with a positive mindset.
The group of fourth graders I got the pleasure of working with at Sunset Valley Elementary, were the best group of kids I could have ever hoped for. They pushed me to be a better teacher and gave me valuable advice to become the best teacher I could be. They helped me work on my teacher voice, something that I know has gotten better through my experience but can definitely still be improved. The students taught me patience, to be understanding, and most importantly to be confident. Every time I stood in front of that class, I felt my confidence growing and loving every single moment of teaching. In the beginning, I was unsure of myself and worried about the students liking me. The previous student teacher had left some big shoes to fill and I felt I had to at least be as good as her. As time went on however, I realized I had to be the best student teacher that I could be. That realization took a lot of weight off my shoulders and let me focus on always improving. I also learned I have to be decisive and consistent with what I say. Otherwise, the students will not all be held to the same expectations. I grew to love my students and cherishing what each and every one brought to the classroom. Sure, there were a couple of them who frustrated me at times, but I’ve come to realize I learned the most from them. They pushed me to be patient and to find the strength in each student because I found that each one of them had something special. Whether they struggled in Math or Writing, they all had other strengths, and they taught me to never give up on them. At the end of my experience, I saw how much they all had grown and the impact I had made in them. The students were not the only ones to help me throughout my experience. I had immense help from my cooperating teacher.
My cooperating teacher, Ms. Aguirre, was the best teacher I could have learned from. I knew one of my weaknesses going in were classroom management skills and I am glad I was put in her class. She has a well-structured class with great classroom management, which is something I will try to emulate in my future classroom. I learned so much from noting how she interacted with the students and planned her lessons. I absolutely liked the way she spoke to the students. Being in fourth grade, I liked the maturity level of the students and she spoke to them with respect and as students who are about to be in middle school. She was there to teach them and not babysit, which she did greatly. She never had any discipline problems because they knew what was expected from them. I saw how important classroom management is and how it makes the lessons go by smoothly. Not only that, but students are able to learn better. My CT gave me valuable advice all throughout my experience. Something I will always remember is her saying how as a teacher you have to be flexible. Lessons aren’t always going to go as planned and you need to be able to adjust.
At the end of my experience, I came out a more confident person and with a realistic outlook on the education world. This experience helped me be better prepared and showed me how we need to constantly keep learning in order to keep improving. Through all the hard work and extra time spent tutoring the kids, I found the experience to be rewarding and I am thankful to have gone through it all.