Life of A Teacher

While I was initially quite apprehensive about the idea of fully taking over my mentor teacher's responsibilities, I found it a lot easier than expected. Running the class felt natural to me, perhaps because many of my mentor teachers from previous years encouraged me to take on more and more responsibilities in preparation for full-time teaching. That said, it was not without mishaps.

During Block 1 many of the learners were not yet accustomed to my presence in the class and I found that my suddenly being in charge made some of them uneasy. Comparatively, during Block 2's takeovers the learners were much more at ease with me in charge and engaged confidently in the lessons. While there were of course the learners who seemingly never behaved in class, at no point did I feel overwhelmed to the point where I couldn't handle it. My mentor teacher's guidance during this time was invaluable and I feel that I have learned a great many things from her and my experience.

The most challenging aspect of the full takeover for me was managing my time. Keeping the day flowing at a steady pace and ensuring that time was not unnecessarily wasted or rushed was quite difficult on the first day. However, once I became aware of how it impacts my teaching, it became much easier to pace myself and get through all the days work. Keeping track of time and maintaining a steady schedule is something that I am aware I struggle with so I often have to remind myself that my learners are relying on me and I must rise to meet expectations. In my personal evaluations I gave myself an overall positive review, but not a glowing one. I am confident in my ability to be a "good" teacher but I am also aware that I have a lot of growing and learning to do before I become a "great" one. I feel that my self assessment was fair and I maintain the views I have of my own abilities.