Going back to school felt a little different this year. It was full of new beginnings and most importantly a new role..the teacher rather than the student, for the first time ever. After almost a month back in the classroom there are lots of takeaways and lessons I am learning already. Each day I have to show up for my students, be a role model and an educator..it is no easy task. Here are a few things I have realized in my 1st month as a 2nd grade Student Teacher.
No Day is the same
This is one of my favorite parts of my future career. Even though you may have a set schedule or routine no day is the exact same as the last. Things may come up that you weren’t expecting, you may have a fire drill in the middle of your lesson, a student may have a breakdown and the list goes on. Learning to go with the flow is a difficult yet essential lesson learned especially as a perfectionist type person in everyday life.
Your space is always messy
No matter how hard you try, your desk will never be clean, especially during the day. Piles of worksheets, unsharpened pencils, tripping over chairs that weren’t pushed in and so on. It is a very overwhelming feeling to look over at your desk in the middle of the day and it be an absolute train wreck, however those kiddos are your number 1 priority, the desk can wait.
Patience is key
It is really hard to stay patient in stressful and sometimes frustrating situations as a teacher. This is the biggest lesson I have learned, it is way harder to be patient for an entire school day than I thought. My number one tip is to keep in mind that they are just kids, you never know their full situation and you may never know what they are going through on an everyday basis. Remembering to be patient and kind is key in the classroom, even when times are tough.
Overall, I have really enjoyed my student teaching experience so far. I have never been more exhausted but also never felt more fulfilled in where my life is going with this career. I am so excited that this is the final step to take before my own classroom.
HCXO, Sami