As the semester comes to an end I am left feeling dismal about leaving my students. Every student has left his or her footprint on my heart and I know I will never be the same. This semester has taught me so much about my future as an educator.
For the last six weeks I have been in a 3rd grade classroom with extremely bright students. My SBTE taught me a lot about patience and the beauty of teaching. Although it is 3rd grade, and the students are nervous about the upcoming TAKS test, the class ran smoothly. One of the most important lessons I learned is that just because a classroom is somewhat noisy does not mean the students are not learning. Before, I was so consumed with keeping students quiet that I forgot how much students can learn even while talking amongst each other. My observed lesson also went well due to the students' cooperativeness. I realize that I can create an effective and creative lesson plan where students will be engaged.
The semester as a whole was more than I could have hoped for. I learned that all of the classes I took in Quest 1 did not prepare me for Quest 2. Experience is key in being a successful educator. I have also learned a lot about pedagogy this semester such as different classroom management techniques, how to integrate material, how to connect with the students, etc. One of the greatest classroom management tools is having the students "get their wiggles out" by playing random children's songs and having them dance around for a minute or two. By far, this is the teacher strategy that stands out the most in my mind.
When revisiting my professional attributes I notice that the attribute I previously said I struggle with, creativity, I now feel more confident in. After my observed lesson plan, and my Inquiry #3, I realized that I can create lesson plans that are fun, educational, and engaging. On the other hand, I still do not feel confident teaching technology. I did not have enough practice with technology this semester and I hope next semester will be a different story. I have made a promise to myself that I will make it a point to use more technology next semester, and in my future classrooms. Although I have this setback, I still believe I progressed so much this semester and I cannot wait for the rest of my teaching career.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment