Week 14 Reflection

It is hard to believe that I am already finished with my 14th week of student teaching. Actually, this is my final week of full-time teaching within my classroom and although I am excited that it gets me one step closer to graduating from college, I am extremely saddened by the thought that I will have to leave my first graders soon. Not only do I feel that I have taught my students a lot of new information, but I honestly believe that my students have possibly taught me even more.

I remember be nervous to start my internship semester because I feared that I would not enjoy teaching as much as I had anticipated. However, I soon learned that teaching is exactly what I want to do with my life. When I am standing in front of my students, I have this feeling that is indescribable. As I stand in front of my students, they look at me with excitement. They are always eager to see what I am about to teach them next. Just the thought of knowing that I am the only thing that stands between the students and their ability to learn is also very frightening because sometimes I worry about if I am teaching them correctly. However, I know that once I see my students at work, and go over their assessments, I am doing just fine!

One of the most valuable lessons I have learned so far this semester is that I am not going to have the "perfect" class. In my classroom, it is normal for there to be only a few strong A students, several B students, and a few students who struggle. This is a natural occurrence and I now understand that. In the beginning of my teaching, I had the mindset that I would be the teacher who effectively taught every student every day. Although this would be absolutely fabulous, and it is every teacher's ultimate goal, I know that there is going to be one student in my classroom who will need additional help more than likely. And this is okay! I am not a miracle worker! All I need to do is try my best, set high expectations, and let my students know that I believe in them.

I really do look forward to having my own classroom someday soon. And I cannot thank my first graders enough for showing me how much I love and enjoy the teaching experience. I will forever be grateful for those 19 little ones!