After nearly 2 months of endless readings and assignments the day finally I arrived where I was let loose in a classroom. Well not quite, my first week of Teaching Experience was mostly observational. However being in an actual school is so fantastic after all that slog. But the best bit is it is not just any school, it is a really wonderful school.
Excuse me while I wax lyrical.
First up for having an amazing associate teacher. Any time I responded to the question ‘whose your associate teacher?’ the response was always ‘oh she’s an excellent teacher.’ And yes the co-teacher is well, awesome seems such a like such a lame word but there it is: my associate teacher is awesome.
Second I love that the school has taken to IT with gusto. The campus has been wireless for the last 10 years and has plenty of gizmos and gadgets to keep this geek happy.
I haven’t said anything yet about the students, but suffice to say that they are A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. I was awestruck by how confident, articulate and self-assured they are. They also give the most perceptive comments and feedback to each other’s work.
I love the school’s approach towards teaching and learning, giving the kids a choice in what they might want to learn and also taking student’s opinions about teaching and learning seriously
Finally I know this might sound corny, but the thing I like most about the school is that it is a happy place. I’ve been in the workplaces where all I’ve marked time waiting for the weekend and days off and it was horrible. Life is too short to work in a job you hate. Getting to spend the next month or two in a place of happiness make me want to get out of bed in the morning. More importantly I feel motivated to use this experience to be the best teacher that I can be.
The downside about being amongst all this awesomeness is that I feel more than a little bit inadequate.
Teaching the Teacher 
So glad it is all going so well.
I absolutely treasure my memories and learning from my first teaching rounds school. It was such a happy place also and the children were amazing. I learnt an amazing amount from my first associate teacher, a lot of which I still use today.
You might feel inadequate now, but trust me, that feeling will be turned around the longer you are in the ‘game’. Although, I still find the feeling of inadequacy is a powerful motivator to spark my desire for more learning. Unfortunately at times it can also make the mountain of knowledge and experience I don’t yet have absolutely massive. I think it’s about taking one step forward every day and making a point of learning from the steps backwards that still do happen.
All the best for the rest of your round and future learning.
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Thank you so much for your lovely comment. I think perhaps one thing I’ve learned is that teachers don’t stop learning!
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