Today, dear friends, was my very last day of student teaching. It's definitely been an uphill battle these four months, but I am thankful for every single experience.
My first placement was a blessing in disguise. I was at ATES, which is the school I hope to get a job at in the fall. All of the faculty, staff, and administrators were amazing and helpful in every way. The students were a great group of kids. They were sweet, caring, kind, loving, smart....this list could go on and on. My mentor teacher was incredible; she and I worked so well together. Our personalities and teaching styles clicked perfectly.
My second placement was very difficult for me. I was at CMS in Memphis, TN. This was also my special education placement, so I was an inclusion student teacher in 7th grade pre-algebra and language arts classes. I'll always consider all of my placements, whether student teaching or field observations, a learning experience--and this one was no different.
I learned so much from all of the teachers and professionals I worked with there, as well as from the students. This group of students was a challenge for me to communicate and identify with as (and here I go making excuses for myself...) I am from a very small town, with small-town ideals and values. I had an amazing family life. I had amazing teachers the entire way through school (except for a couple of bad apples). I never needed anything that I didn't already have. Not all of the students at this school know a good family life. Not all of them have had caring teachers through school. I like country music. They like rap music. I live in a nicer part of town. They live in a part of town where shootings happen on a regular basis.
Basically, if you could think of two people or groups of people that are furthest apart in society, that would describe me and my students.
Like I said, though, this was a challenging, yet meaningful experience that I have definitely learned from. In the beginning of this post, I said that my first placement was a blessing in disguise. Had I not been in a classroom and school (ATES) where I felt immediately welcomed and valued, with students and teachers who strive to do their very best every single day, I might have lost my faith in the education field. This is not to put down the professionals or the students at CMS in any way. I truly feel like they do their very best (the teachers do, at least). But every day felt like a race there. I was always racing to leave the building right at 3:30, because I wanted as far away from that school as possible.
One thing is for sure though, I will always remember the teachers and students from both of my placements of student teaching. Every experience is something I've learned from, good or bad. I know much more about myself as a person and as a teacher than I knew before. And I feel like I am much more ready, now, to take on the task of leading my own classroom in the fall.
Well, this post has gone on long enough. Be on the lookout for my next post with my tips for getting through student teaching.
