There is a huge difference between being a student and a teacher. Yet there are some similarities as well. These past weeks have shown me many aspects of teaching that being a student could not prepare you for. As a student your focus is on learning the subject matter. As a teacher you are focused on ensuring the students learn and classroom management. One of the biggest things I realized during this experience is the importance of balancing. This incorporates getting prep-work finished on time and also how to remain professional. The teach I observed made it clear that they way teachers act outside of school or with each other is not necessarily how one should act around students. Every teacher must strive to find to professional in the school environment and not allow personal issues or feelings to effect how one interacts with the students.
I still feel I am more suited to teach high school than middle school. The students I saw in the high school classes were more mature and focused than the middle school students. The younger students were still trying to find out what cliques they will join and who is more popular. In contrast, most of the high school students were more settled. Even though they all have drama, the older students seemed to handle it better. I also still intend to teach history. I loved seeing the different techniques used to teach various historical time period and event. There were several activities I saw in which the students paying more attention than in others, so I know that the activities I choose will have to be chosen carefully to keep their attention and ensure they actually learn.
There are many things I enjoyed during this observational period and very little I would change. The best part of this experience, aside from the knowledge I gained, was the interaction with the students. On the first day of my middle school observation one of the girls in the class came up to me. She was so excited to have someone new in the classroom. We were able to speak a few more times during the weeks I saw her class. Getting to help a student understand her class work is so rewarding. By far this is the most memorable moment of this experience. In contrast the one thing I would change seems insignificant. I would have preferred to have had more responsibility in the class. I was only asked to assist the teacher n few instances and would have liked to have done a bit more support work such as grading. However, I did get to see how his daily schedule went and valuable advice on how to manage a daily workload without trying to finish everything at the last minute.
There are so many little things I have learned and incorporated into my future teaching plans. I have pages of does and don’t I have written interspersed with little notes on various subjects relating to classroom management. Each of these little bits of knowledge has helped shape and change my perspectives on what I will be like as a teacher. I am so glad I was able to be in a classroom before I got further into my degree. Now I have some practical experience which I can relate the subject I will learn to. I can ‘see’ how specific actions, such as time allotted for an in-class assignment, could realistically affect a class. I am still committed to becoming a teacher, and I can hardly wait to learn more about my chosen field.