Technically I'm still out on prac tomorrow but since I'm off to the Sydney Easter Show tomorrow as part of an excursion for all the international students at the school, I consider this to be the last day.
I can honestly say that I can't bear to leave this prac. I went in with my fair share of trepiditions. Coming from a languages teacher's perspective, ESL felt like a whole new ball game that I barely knew the rules to. I freaked out about teaching Years 8 and 10 poetry and felt that my supervising teacher was going to be tough and unreasonable when in reality, she's the exact opposite.
She's supportive and helpful and always gives me insightful feedback. I couldn't have asked for a better placement. I've had my fair share of the whole spectrum of students from the quiet, shy girls, to the loud, bossy, overbearing type. It's help me grow as both a teacher and a person and I feel all the more convinced that I made the right decision five years ago when I picked teaching as a career.
This statement will probably come back to haunt me but right now being out there and teaching just seems...well, right.
I feel sad about leaving my little students. I never make a big deal about leaving when I go out on pracs since this usually causes an escalation in unruly behaviour as the students know that I won't have any authority over them soon enough. I don't deny it if students ask me if I'm leaving in such and such a week, but being melodramatic over my own impending departure just reeks of hubris to me.
The Year 8's were a bit outraged at the lack of warning though. Apparently they love organising farewell parties and presents for their student-teachers but ah well, after three weeks of classes with them, I still think they barely know me, just as I barely know them. (Besides, they managed to weedle an end-of-term party out of me for the last 20 mins of class and all of recess, anyway. It became the last 10 mins, though, since they acted up in class and didn't work hard on their comprehensions.)
My little Year 7 ESL support girl, though, I'm gonna miss dearly. I've worked one-on-one with her for quite a few hours each week. She's one smart cookie and an extremely hard worker and hopefully, has improved quite a bit from my support. Fingers crossed she'll be blitzing the HSC in five years time.
A few of my students wanted my email address but seeing as how I don't want to mix my professional life with my personal, I just shook my head and told them that they could always reach me through my supervisor if they needed help or something.
I never know the correct protocol for giving out contact details like that but bumping into students around this neighbourhood is weird enough for me. I don't need them stalking my email address and Facebook as well. I'd like a life outside of being a teacher and that's not possible if students know me too well outside of the school context.
Looking forward to the Easter Show tomorrow. I still haven't decided which show bag to get yet.
I don't have to pay for transport and entry since I'm "working" so I save a bit there. Yay! Teaching privileges FTW! :D
5 comments:
lol i hoped i'm just as loved as you were Ms Ha!
=P such adventures! my bro teaches full time now in doonside. thats like mt druitt area. so hardcore.
Awww, I'm sure you'll be even more loved, Andy. I can already imagine you being the cool male teacher that all the staff and students are crazy over.
Hmm Doonside? That does sound tough! How's he coping? What subjects is he teaching?
hahaha i hope so. I prefer to go to a dumb school so i don't risk having any students smarter than me LOL
yeh probably is, I had to drop something off for him and when i was driving there i saw heaps of young mums all walking their toddlers around o.O tough area!!!
he seems to be doing okay though, doesn't complain too much about it at all. and he teaches science!
Oooo Science, eh? That's pretty cool. Students probably like mixing up dangerous chemicals and making things go 'boom' so they'd probably pay attention in his classes.
Yeh I felt the same way too but when you go to a good school and all the students are switched on, it really makes you feel like you're teaching something worthwhile.
Happens at crappier schools too, but probably not all the time...
Wish your brother good luck for me, k?
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