At the start of my practicum, I was a little bit nervous and hesitant about my ability to teach. I was afraid of failure and disappointment. Besides having many fears in my head, I was too excited and fascinated by the idea of teaching. My negative and positive emotions contradicted each other until I met my class for the first time. I was thrilled to find out that I got to do my practicum in primary school. I was pleasantly surprised, which gave me a little bit of confidence in myself. I only observed this class 2 times, right before practicum, so I didn’t connect with the students much, but I was excited to start.
My coaching teacher helped me in so many ways. I got fortunate with the class that I got; the students were very polite. I fell in love with grade two. I got to make beautiful connections with each student, which I will always remember. I also got connected with my coaching teacher; we learnt a lot about each other in this short period. She would always encourage me to grow and do better. She told me she saw a desire to learn in me, which she liked.
My biggest concern during my practicum was pacing. However, I worked on it throughout the whole practicum and used different methods to keep me on track. I noticed that my pacing got better by paying attention to time, and I could finish up my lessons on time and had time to review with students.
Without constructive criticisms and positivity, I wouldn’t have been able to do as well as I did. I am thrilled with myself, which is shocking because I always have something negative to say. I have learnt from teachers in the school that I should forgive myself if a lesson didn’t go as planned, or the conversation that was supposed to take 10 minutes instead took 20 minutes. I learnt something vital about myself, and it is that I have confidence when I speak in front of children. I knew that without confidence, students won’t listen to me and would doubt me.
By the end of my practicum, I realized I had nothing to fear, and even the best teachers are continually learning. I am genuinely grateful that I had this opportunity to experience teaching in a way that I have never done before. I am proud of myself for putting in the effort and working hard. I am happy to be a lifelong learner!
I am looking forward to the next practicum. I am hoping to learn more about assessment, how to involve First Peoples Principles of Learning and communication with parents.
