EXPERIENCE
teaching in a classroom
GETTING STARTED
I think I have always dreamed of becoming a teacher. But it wasn't until grade two that I truly realized it. I had the most amazing teacher. She was so creative, kind, and loving. Even in overwhelming times she always had a smile on her face. Looking back, I know realize I have always been a teacher in my own kind of way. I am the oldest in my family, so I have naturally obtained these so-called "teacher traits". At the age of four, I taught my little siblings to walk, sing the alphabet or even how to bake or draw a picture. To this day I still help my siblings with homework and school projects. Now I am a senior in high school; and I need to put my dream into action. So for the past few weeks I have been pondering on what I could possibly do to pursue this dream of mine. At first, I was thinking of continuing to volunteer at kids camps or tutoring elementary school students. However, I finally came upon the decision to shadow an actual teacher in an elementary school. Nothing is better than getting true experience right? This way I can observe and find out for myself what being a teacher is all about. I will be able to help out the students in the classroom, take notes for when I become a teacher, and truly find out if this is the job for me.
THE PLAN
As mentioned in yesterday's post, I have come to terms with what I am going to accomplish in order to pursue my goal of becoming a teacher. An overview of my plan is this: taking 4-6 hours over the course of this month to observe and assist in an elementary school classroom. Since there are many teachers in my family, I have inside sources and networking that allows me to spend time in a classroom. I will be working in two classrooms: a kindergarten classroom and a grade 3 classroom. I am excused from school to shadow the teacher and spend time with the students to see if this is really the career I want in the next five years. During this time I will be recording thoughts, questions, data and observations so I remember that in-the-moment experience. I help out the teacher by handing out assignments, helping kids with whatever subject they are working on, as well I will possibly get to read to the students during reading time. After each time I volunteer, I will record all my information and views on this blog, including pictures of course! So stay tuned for more posts in the near future!
​
WHAT MAKES A GOOD TEACHER?
Naturally Curious
If my overall career goal is to become a teacher, I should defiantly know what makes a good teacher and how to achieve that goal of mine. To ultimately find out what key attributes a great teacher has, I completed research trying to find the best websites that refer to what a good educator should be like. Like expected, the usual "a good teacher is kind and respectful" came up more than several websites. However, multiple articles stated this because it is beyond true. Overall a good person should be kind and respectful; therefore a teacher should be like that too. When working as an elementary school, you are preparing the next generation for the future years to come. Setting an influential example by being generous and thoughtful is crucial for a children's childhood. Being brought up with never ending kindness helps the student feel loved and cared for.
​
View my whole post on my main page!
THE EXPERIENCE 1.0
After a few months of planning, I finally had a few hours at the elementary school. If you look back to my "Expectations" blog post, my predictions on how it would go were pretty accurate. I was expecting that the classroom would be messy and overwhelming at times. Overall, it wasn't too overwhelming because the teacher I was shadowing was amazing at her job. She was able to keep her students calm and happy. I learned that you have to be very organized; not even minimally organized - I am talking extremely organized and beyond. Lesson plans were done weeks in advanced, photocopies made the night before, letting the kids know what you'll be doing ahead of time so they do not worry about future activities. It is hard work being a teacher! However, I learned so much through this one time experience, I challenged myself to learn an incredible amount. I learned smile and be happy towards the kids, even when your tired and feel a little overwhelmed by a new experience (in this case being in the classroom). I was so happy to help the kids with their English work and their worksheets. Through this I learned to have the mind of a fourth grader. It can be difficult putting yourself in somebody else's mindset, but overtime I learned to understand and view topics the way they did. This experience was a memory that I can hold onto forever. As well, it will be a time that I will always take with me throughout my education and journey to becoming an elementary school teacher.
THE EXPERIENCE 2.0
Only one week later and yet I had another opportunity to volunteer in a classroom. I am so grateful for the teachers that are taking time out of their day to let me in their classroom, allowing me to get the full concept on what it is like to be an educator. Today, the grade 2/3 class was focusing on fractions. Ms. Williams, the teacher I was shadowing, made visuals out of paper to show what the fractions are. Like the example picture below, there were strips of paper allowing the students to visually see how two 1/2's made up 1 whole. Through this experience, I learned how important visuals are to elementary school students!
​
View the whole post on my blog!
​