Chapter 10: Flying Solo

I hit another milestone this week! I am 2/3's of the way through my student-teaching experience and I am ecstatic! I am on the downhill slope, am giving classes back to my cooperating teacher, and see the light at the end of the student-teaching tunnel.

Week 10 really was a great week and I feel proud of the teaching I did, the learning that occurred, and the memories that were made. However, I had a really neat experience during week 10, flying truly solo. On a day-to-day basis the students always know that whether or not I am teaching, my cooperating teacher is always there somewhere in the building. So on Friday, when my cooperating teacher was not there, it was a day when the students knew that she was not there at all. It was kind of a test to see if the students truly respect me as a student-teacher and will follow my instructions, regardless of who is there or watching. I was pleasantly surprised that my students really followed my instructions and were engaged during my lessons. It boosted my confidence and gave me a great sense that I am making a difference, even during my short time here.

So what did I learn this week?

1. Trying something new and challenging is essential

The longer I student-teacher, the more I want to challenge myself and my students with activities and curriculum. Thus, I have been trying to incorporate more inquiry lab activities into my lesson and unit plans. Yes, they take a lot of pre-planning. Yes, they are a lot of work. And yes, they are challenging for both myself and my students. But, they are so important for higher level learning and connecting classroom concepts to real-world application. I always feel like I'm floating on cloud 9 after I am done trying something new. Whether it was successful, or needs improvement, I still put myself out there and tried something new to improve my teaching, change my methodology, and always keep my students guessing. Never be afraid of failure. For there is beauty in failure and confidence that rises from the ashes.

2. Even the smallest successes are important

I think when I started student-teaching I was hoping to see these big successes all over the place with my lessons, activities, and teaching. However, everything is a process and nothing happens overnight. I had to learn that it is not always about the big successes that define my student-teaching, its the small, seemingly insignificant moments that make this experience worth the work and preparation. It is a student leaving a nice note on the white board for me to see in the morning, it is students asking me how my day is going and telling me to have a nice day, it is students who normally skip school or other classes, but never fail to come to mine. These moments, the ones we might tend to forget, are the ones that keep the passion alive inside when we experience the valleys in between the peaks. It fuels my love for agricultural education and all things teaching and FFA.

3. Having respect and loyalty is HUGE

Like I said in the beginning of this blog, when my cooperating-teacher was not at school at all on Friday, it was kind of a test to see if the students really respected me like I hoped that they did. Having a respectful relationship in and outside of the classroom is crucial for active learning to occur and for students to be able to trust that I have their best interest at heart. Respect is a two-way street. There needs to be respect for me as the teacher, respect among students, and their must be evidence of my respect for my students. This is necessary, beneficial for student growth, but also a way to establish loyalty. Students who are dedicated and loyal are like beautiful rare gems. As a teacher, I can put my full trust in them and not worry about them abusing the trust in our relationship. They are students who you give the benefit of the doubt to and defend when necessary because they have earned it. These are the students who, 10 years from now, will still keep in touch because you made a difference, you made a lasting impression, and you never gave up on them.