Reflecting back upon my observed lesson and my time spent with the students I have
discovered a greater sense of confidence and assurance in myself as a teacher. I
no longer perceive students who do as I ask as doing me a favor but rather as
behaving as any student who wants to succeed would. I can feel my “teacher
identity” developing and all my hard work finally paying off and coming
together. I also learned that not every lesson has to amount to a fancy complex
assessment piece. Assessing students based on the discussion and tweets/status
was a way to see that students did grasp the main ideas of the lesson that were
clearly connected to the novel. With this newfound knowledge I plan on further
developing my presence as a teacher as well as understanding that learning can
be achieved in a variety of ways whether it’s from writing an essay to conveying
your own personal message in a few words.
In regards to the
students sitting in front of me I could not be any more pleased with them. They
approach each question as if it is their mission to answer and defend. They have
been welcoming and willing to share their thoughts, opinions, and personal
struggles since day one. To be so open with student teachers who they barely
even know shows me that these students are here to be active participators in
their own learning regardless of the circumstances. With this knowledge I am
going to go into student teaching with a positive outlook on the pros of
teaching, since these students have showed me one of the best sides of this
profession. Also, I have had a realization that these students are just children
who will not hold it against you if a lesson goes wrong or if I make mistakes as
a teacher.
Ms. Tundis has showed me that there are multiple ways
of teaching English Language Arts that are both fun and engaging for the
students. She has shown me that although reading out loud may been an old school
teacher strategy it also has many benefits that ensure comprehension and
eliminates the issue of students not doing their reading. Additionally, Ms.
Tundis has opened my eyes towards understanding that English can be used as a
gateway to teach students about larger issues in life, ones that will matter
long after students walk out the classroom doors. All in all this has been a
great experience that has diminished my worst case scenario teacher fears that
often flooded my mind. On Friday Katie and I had a picturesque ending as we
finished the novel and closed with period F on our last day. This has been an
experience that I will not forget and I hope to find a similar environment to
Alan Shaun Feinstein Middle School when I enter the real world.
