Okay, so to narrow down the amount of stuff I learned into one blog post would be nearly impossible. Because of this, I have decided to condense these lessons down into the top 5 things. I also want you to remember that this was just my experience, your could be totally different but everyone’s experience is valuable!
JUST BECAUSE YOU’RE GOOD WITH KIDS DOES NOT MEAN YOU’RE GOOD WITH STUDENTS
There is a big difference between kids and kids as students in a school setting. It is easy to walk into the classroom thinking connections are going to form quickly because you have tons of experience working with kids and you know you work well with them. This is oh so very wrong. When you are in the classroom, as a teacher, your job is not to work with kids anymore. Instead, your job is to connect with these students not just on an academic level but also a personal, yet professional level. Working with kids often includes using a lot of the same sort of management techniques as used in the classroom. But, it also includes becoming that child’s educator, something that is so much more that someone who cares for or works with children.
Students can be hard to please. They go to school every single day, they have to go, it is not a choice like day camp, and it is not just one week out of the summer. They are in school typically from age 5 to age 18. The 21st century student knows the system better than you do and they know how to work that system.
THEY DON’T WANT YOU TO BE THEIR FRIEND
I think this is a pretty common misconception many student teachers and teachers have. We are always told to connect with the students and to develop strong relationships but this does not mean being their friend and that is okay because the student’s want a teacher, they do not want a friend. Honestly, my students during my first placement saw right through any phoniness I was putting off. They knew when I was trying to hard and they responded accordingly, and let’s just say that was not a very nice response.
Students thrive off of structure, they look to teachers for guidance, they rely on you to nudge them in the right direction when they are going in the wrong one. My students not only wanted but needed someone who would be empathetic at times but also stern when situations called for it.
YOU’RE NOT THE TEACHER YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO BE
When I first went into my placement I thought I knew exactly how I was going to respond to every situations that happened in the classroom. I was certain that the students were all going to listen to me, and if they weren’t then I could just employ a classroom management strategy and BOOM, they were listen. Uhmm, NO, that is not at all how it worked or how it ever works. Throughout this placement I learned just how important it is to plan for the unknown, to veer off your lesson, and to not be upset when students aren’t engaged in something you worked so hard on planning and creating.
YOU HAVE MORE TO LEARN THAT YOU COULD HAVE EVER IMAGINED
I think everyone knows that most of your learning is done through teaching in your own classroom, not in your Education classes. However, I was completed overwhelmed with the lack of knowledge I had about teaching and about how to teach. There were many days where I felt like I did not have what it takes to be a teacher, not a good teacher at least. This belief very much came from the fact I walked into my first placement prepared to learn but not prepared to change my entire teaching philosophy. I still feel like I had my philosophy more figured out my first year of university than I do right now. However, I also know that is ok, and that your teaching philosophy should change as you grow as a teacher.
THIS IS AN INSANELY CHALLENGING JOB
I knew that teaching was not easy so I never pretended like it was going to be. However, no one told me exactly how challenging this profession is. It is so true when people say you are the child’s mentor, counsellor, mom/dad, leader, educator. You are everything to that child on top of being a teacher and that is a very hard job to have. This is not a job where you can show up and be half in, this is a job where you have to be all in 9-3:30 and then some. I was personally exhausted during my first placement. I would go to bed at 12 because I was prepping or stressing about the next day, wake up at 5 to correct or continue prepping, get ready, be at the school for 7am and often I would leave the school at 7pm after coaching volleyball or photocopy for the next day. being exhausted might be an understatement, actually. This job is not your 9-5, this job very quickly becomes a huge aspect of your entire life.
Honestly, narrowing this list down to just 5 things was very tough as I learned so many things. I would love to hear about your experience so drop a comment below, shoot me a DM, or send an email!