Another day, another practicum…

When I first discovered that I was placed at my old elementary school, I was ecstatic and wanted to start immediately. So technically, that’s what I did… sort of.

Before practicum even started officially, I asked my professor if it would be okay to attend the school for the first couple of weeks so that I could get to know the students and lesson plan based on what I learned about them. Lo and behold, I was given permission to do just that, and I took the opportunity in stride.

During the first couple of weeks, I sat in the classroom and bonded with the students and my coaching teacher. I learned what the students were not comfortable with and what lessons they would love to participate in. This connection that I was able to make with the students helped with my lesson planning and allowed me to make lessons that would keep the students engaged.

After spending the first couple of weeks with the students, practicum finally began. In my first week, I took over the morning activity that required the students to answer three questions quietly and then discuss them as a class. One of the questions that I asked was, “What do you want to know about me?” This way, the students could ask me questions so that they could get to know me as well. What I didn’t foresee happening was a student stumping me with a question. A student’s hand shot up in the air, and they asked me if I had ever been in a bar fight. to tell you that I was stunned by this question was an understatement. I did not know how to appropriately answer the question while also letting the student know that that was not an appropriate question. I successfully redirected the situation, and the first week of practicum went smoothly from then on.

By week two, I had created a solid relationship with the students, and I was flying high. Everything was going smoothly until one day, I dropped the ball… On the first day that I taught the full day, I was told that there would be an assembly in the afternoon and completely dismissed the thought that I should have a backup plan. Well, as it turned out, the assembly was cancelled, and I did not know what to do, I was scrambling. Thanks to my coaching teacher, I was able to somewhat smoothly end the school day, but I knew that from that day on, I would forever be over-prepared hen ever be under-prepared ever again.

At the end of this practicum, I had to say one of the hardest goodbyes I’ve ever had to say. My connection with the children and my coaching teacher made it incredibly difficult to leave a classroom that I wanted to stay in forever. However, with everything that I learned from that practicum and the relationships I created, I was able to go back to classes even more comfortable in a classroom setting and ready to take on what the program had to throw at me next.

Bring on the next practicum.