I was not prepared for how much I would miss this group of people. The staff, students and parents all welcomed me into the community and truly made me feel like part of their family. It was with many tears and some very beautiful words, gifts and performances from the students that we said goodbye.
I feel like this practicum allowed me to find my footing and voice as a teacher, as well as set a goal for how I want my own classroom to feel. There was this incredible sense of closeness and trust that made developing new and amazing things possible.
I have learned that one of my goals is to have a very clear and well-thought-out assessment system. I found that I fell into a very institutional method that took away from the individuality of my students. I also found that I need to have a well-marked-out hand-in and hand-out system. The students were easily overwhelmed, and suddenly papers ended up EVERYWHERE. I was informed that drowning in paper is a uniquely intermediate problem. The primary teachers confirmed that they did not find they had the same issues.
A highlight of this practicum has been the sharing of meals. My CT stated that food was a universal tool of connection, and I found that she might be right. We had a taco day, a soup day, a pizza party and even made apple crisp. Every time there was food in the classroom, the students would exclaim that it was the best day ever. I look forward to being able to implement similar practices in a classroom.
I was able to see a setting where all social and emotional needs were able to be met, even if only for a bit of the day, and students were able to fully connect with the academic aspects of education. I truly think that I am stepping out of a dream, and hope that the afterglow does not leave me too quickly.
To Beaverly Elementary, I say thank you to you from the bottom of my being.