Semester reflection

            This semester has been one of the hardest semesters I have ever had. Teacher assisting has taught me so much but has been even more stressful than the semester when I took four math classes at the same time. Even though it is not quite over yet, I want to take a moment to reflect and share my experience with whoever is reading my blog. So here it goes.

My summer was not much of a summer. After my college classes were finished I spent the next month and a half subbing and volunteering at a high school. I was not yet in the College of Education and was getting even more nervous I might not make it in. I had to take the ACT again and I had to retake a chemistry class so I could get my GPA up enough to get in. Fast forward to the end of the summer. A week after getting a solid B in my summer course I was quickly accepted into the College of Education. The next day I was given my placement for teacher assisting at a High School. That night I contacted my CT and signed up for all my classes. I went to Professional Development the next day and got to meet my CT and the following Monday was the first day of school. Very fast pace and all of this happen within two weeks. 

Looking at the semester to come I was quite nervous. Talking to other people, I was warned that I might see a lot of fights at the school and to be careful. Starting at a new school is always scary even for teachers but I knew I had support from friends and family. After getting to know these kids, I couldn’t believe I was ever nervous to be there. They are some of the nicest kids I have ever met and they welcomed me into their school. They were open to me teaching them and kept encouraging me to teach. I was quickly able to get to know my students and gain their trust. 

As the semester continued my classes did not get any easier. Taking 17 credits worth of classes while teacher assisting was not the best idea I have ever had. But these kids I have been working with stared to really have an impact on my life. These students struggle so much with confidence in themselves and their ability in school. So often students would raise their hand to ask a question and would do the problem without me saying a word. They are so smart and have bright future ahead of them. As them semester continued, students found out that we would not be staying the entire year. This came as a shock to them and a few of my students refused to believe I would be leaving. I had students tell me that I was their favorite teacher. I had another student say that they would switch schools, so they could have me as a teacher. Another said they would protest me leaving. Others said that I had to get a job there and that they would write recommendation letters for me to get a job at their school. With only a few weeks left I am so sad to have to be leaving. These kids have stolen a piece of my heart and I don’t know how I will ever leave.

Looking back, I have learned a lot about myself and about teaching that I will use in the future. I have learned that there is so much that goes into making a lesson that maybe I had not thought too much about. One thing I have really been working on this semester is getting all my students engaged in the lesson and in the activities. I am good at making creative activities but now I need to make sure that all my students are engaged and working. One example was the Jeopardy game we played for review. I had the majority of the class engaged in the activity but not everyone was participating. Each group had whiteboards to write their answers on but there was usually one person in each group that was writing. Next time I want to use Jeopardy I will make it so the whiteboard moves hands each round. This way each person in the group must write and everyone must communicate with the person writing to get the answer right. Coming up with strategies, like the groups I choose or even the layout of the classroom, is something that I will take with me to the future.