Guest Post: Guilt By ‘Association’

Many thanks for Kimberley Rivett for this wonderful post on student teaching from the Associate Teacher’s perspective. Kimberley’s awesome teaching blog can be found over at  e-learning 2011.

Every year I have the most amazing shared journey with a new person in my life. Every year, a young, vibrant, passionate, enthusiastic student teacher dances into my classroom, filled with ideas and ideals, and I have the unique privilege of being their guide for a short part of their journey.

I say ‘guide’ because they are young professionals. A guide is a person who takes us from where we are to another place and I believe that this is exactly the role and responsibility of every associate teacher. Sometimes we have difficulty positively impacting on the student teacher because of where their previous experiences have taken them. Sometimes we can struggle to contain their passion and harness their enthusiasm in a manageable bundle. But every time, without exception, we are making an impact on a learner who looks to us for clear guidelines, role modelling and for us to take care of their passion as they journey with us.

We, as associate teachers, are charged with your care. We are opening our classrooms and baring our teacher-souls in a way that we do with no other. And why do we do this? Because we remember what it was like to be you. We remember the teachers who helped us the most as we trained and we want to be that teacher to you. We also love to see you transition from when you enter our classroom to when you exit it, changed forever by your experiences. We love to see our children through your eyes and we love, most of all, learning from you.

For although you may not realise it, you have something wonderful and unique to teach us. Experience has not wearied our desire to learn and you come to us with fresh ideas and wonderful new knowledge that we can grow from. We count you among our blessings for the year, another student who leaves their palm-print on our soul.

So thank you, for your vibrant zest for learning, your passion for the children we teach, your willingness to learn, your choice to pursue an amazing vocation. And thank you, for the privilege of being allowed to journey with you for a small part of the lifelong adventure that you have embarked upon.

An Associate Teacher x