I told my Coaching Teacher one day “I feel ready to take a contract, that’s new.” I didn’t feel ready after EDUC 391 nor EDUC 490, not even after teaching on call. It happened slowly, over a period of trying and failing, trying and succeeding. Each day, I forced myself to do something I feared and it finally worked. What a feeling… competence!
I had a unique experience compared to many of my peers as I was placed with the same class for both the second and third practicums. This was undeniably a gift, forming even deeper relationships with learners after the initial four-week period. I also loved the fact that I could hit the ground running! It meant more time and energy spent on things like implementing formative assessments, planning engaging activities tied to the learners’ interests (many of which I already knew!) and experimenting with different behaviour intervention strategies. I couldn’t be happier!
If I had to pick one of the standards to which I feel most connected for this practicum, it would be Standard 3: Educators understand and apply knowledge of student growth and development. I uploaded an exemplar for this standard here. My Coaching Teacher and I discussed the Text-to-Self Connections unit and felt that it was a huge leap forward from 490, where some of my lessons or units had to be scaled back because I hadn’t paid close enough attention to where learners were at and where they could get to by the end. This unit hit the sweet spot; it was accessible to all reading levels, touched on personal experiences and encouraged students to reach that little bit further, that little bit deeper, everyday.
Aside from this unit, I felt that I had a better understanding of student growth in a general sense. Once I began observing more closely and providing opportunities for formative assessment, it all came together. I felt like learning took on a mind of its own when I could follow leads from the class and allow lessons to flow more freely. I’m so lucky that my Coaching Teacher left room to make mistakes and grow from them. She never expected I would teach exactly like her and, on several occasions, encouraged me to find my own “voice.” This was empowering and I am forever grateful.
I’ll always miss those little humans but I’m happy to say we’ve reached a fine agreement. On our last day, I let the class know that I am moving to Quebec later this month. Several of the students asked “are you going to send pictures?” or “Can we send you letters?” I hadn’t even thought of this! It was an amazing idea! I told them I would send photos from my drive to Quebec and once I arrived in Quebec City, I would send a postcard. Any students who want to stay in touch can respond in a letter. It encourages them to practice writing, they discover a unique community, see how the postal system functions and much more! I was so excited to think about all the learning that would come of it, and the fact that it really wasn’t “goodbye,” it was just “write you later.”