Dear Ms. Pritchett,
First of all: take a deep breath. Now, take ten more. Now listen up: I am here to tell you that your student teaching experience will be amazing. You will stress (especially during the final week- the job search is insane!). You will laugh insanely hard because high school kids are hilarious. You will (surprisingly) not cry. You will grow and present yourself with more confidence that you can currently envision yourself ever portraying. You may not always do quite as well as you anticipated but you will always 'do good'. You will be a positive presence in the classroom, if not a particularly experienced one. I feel like I need to chastise you just a little here; why didn't you co-op?!
We must move ever forward, though. My main piece of advice, dear younger self, is to focus on accepting constructive criticism in a polite and positive manner. Remember that your supervisors and mentor teacher are working to ensure that you are constantly challenging yourself and that they are veterans of your beloved field; they will give you advice and feedback that you need to make progress on both now and in every year of your career. You're not going to receive a nifty golden star at the end of the year declaring that you now know everything there is to know about teaching and though that seems fairly cool in theory, you know deep down that you always want constructive criticism because it means you are still growing as a educator. Forgive yourself for not always being the most active listener but work to rectify the situation in the future. You will learn to implement feedback in an effective manner; don't get upset when it is given to you.
You didn't think you would get off with just one piece of advice though, right? Of course not! You should really consider visiting 5th hour more during your pre-service student teaching semester. It is a rambunctious and amazing hour and you need to develop a routine with them early on so you're not quite as thrown when a student reacts strongly to having their phone taken away early in the second semester or when two boys attempt to fight. Speaking of the former incident, do not worry too much, dear. You may have to hand out your first detention without having your MT in the room and have your first not-so positive phone call with a parent, and you may worry about the student returning to class angry the next day, but the truth is that student will cheerfully move on with their life and have a plethora of happy and constructive interactions with you down the line. 5th hour will be challenging but it is filled to the brim with awesome students and you will get a little emotional reading their autobiographies.
Finally, it's time to address issues outside your placement classroom; we have two to discuss. First, do not stress about the Praxis too much! Study, yes. Prepare to be treated a little rudely on test day and be ready to write a paragraph in cursive stating that you will not share test information with anyone else. Do not worry overly much while you wait for your score, however; do not let it keep you up! You did so well! Secondly, I urge you to build stronger relationships with your peers at Wichita State, girl! Don't be shy; share more and be more straightforward about wanting to collaborate and meet up with people. Be more active as a student instead of just focusing on the teaching aspect of this time in your life.
Though I did present you with all of that wonderful advice above and if I had a time machine I would surely take all of it, I find it prudent to end the letter with one firm reminder: you survived and you 'did good'. Cheers to the end of the year!
- Ms. Pritchett
Ms. Pritchett,
ReplyDeleteSo many wonderful things in this blog post Brooke. You did "do good" and I dare say you did fantastically this year.
I think this should be a mantra for all new teachers, "to focus on accepting constructive criticism in a polite and positive manner." This is key to growth and becoming an ever more dynamic and effective teacher.
I love your spin on the 5th hour class (what is it about 5th hour - I had one like this too!) and your efforts to embrace what could be a tougher mix of personalities and find their awesomeness underneath it all. :)
Balance has been so hard this year Brooke - we are all being pulled in so many different directions as we juggle classes, student teaching and the Praxis and KPTP. I, too, wish I had done more with folks in class, but it is not too late to make connections. After all, this coming year may be the year we need those connections most!
Congratulations on a great year of growth and learning Brooke - your confidence has soared this year and you will have so much to give your future students.
~ Mrs. Tolbert
Brooke,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing this personal reflection! I think that it clearly articulates the worries that most people in our situation face. Stress about test scores, managing student behavior, and finding a job seem to be common threads in the story of our student teaching class. BUT, the end is in sight! You are just one step away from beginning your career and becoming an "official adult."
Congrats on a successful year, thanks for sharing your student teaching journey with me this semester and good luck!
Alexis
I love this advice, Ms. Pritchett! So honest, so specific. Others need to hear it too. Definitely planning to share this post with my up and comers. I love the voice in this post too. You call yourself “dear.” Delightful! I’m so glad you’re part of this profession. Your students will benefit especially you’re your attention to their craft and skill as writers. Here’s to a successful first year of teaching!
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