This has been a busy semester for me as I embraced the challenges of my elementary practicum alongside my courses and studio art work. I've been working with kids across three different buildings, getting to know different sets of rules, teaching styles, and classroom cultures. I've had a great time pushing myself in mediums like oil painting and metalworking, learning new techniques that I can bring into future classrooms.
Practicum experiences can be challenging due to the split focus of performing as an instructor and a student at the same time. Being a teacher requires a full head-space of learning your students, their names, their interests, their strengths and weaknesses. It was an absorbing experience trying to reach out to students individually and build rapport with the different age groups. I knew that I had been successful when I was building up to my last few days and had to make a painful goodbye to each class I was working with. I'm not sure if it gets easier to say goodbye to a group of students.
I'm looking forward to student teaching as an opportunity to dive fully in to the teaching experience without the distractions of being a full college student. It will be great to fully devote myself to learning who my students are, how my lessons are going, and how I can make and adjust my future lessons to better suit them.
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