Mercy,
I know that you are a bundle of
nerves right now. You are cramming in
the last of your required English courses and starting pre-student teaching
soon. This feels like an overwhelming time. You still have to take and pass
your PRAXIS exams and your KPTP (which you have not even heard of yet). Don’t freak.
Everything will be okay. You are
smart and dedicated; you will not crack under the pressure. You will pass those
PRAXIS exams just fine (and don’t waste your money on that study book full of
practice tests because it will simply collect dust on your bookshelf). You will
pass your KPTP too (after a week of frantic typing and melt-downs). To soothe
your fears, here is some helpful advice:
· -
Don’t be so self-critical. [You have this
terrible habit of agonizing over every little detail and telling yourself that
you are a failure. Stop that! You really do know your stuff and you will
never be perfect, but you will get a little better every day.]
·
-Follow your instincts; if your gut says “no”,
don’t do it. [This will save you from making a blunder on your first day of
pre-student teaching and on your first day of student teaching; let’s just say
that English teachers are super territorial…]
·
-Know that you already have an advantage in your
field thanks to the Co-op program. [Signing up for the program was one of the
best decisions of your academic career. It
also gave you some valuable experience that will make you more marketable
during your future job search.]
·
-Know that you are in a good school that has a
good teacher education program. [WSU gets you into the classroom with students
more than most schools and that is the best way to learn.]
·
-Realize that most of your stress is due to the
fact that you are not yet a licensed teacher, so you have to play by someone
else’s rules for now. [When you have your own classroom, you can generate your
own routines and procedures without the hassle of someone else’s quirks.]
On top of these tips, recognize
that you have a skill that can never be learned in a college class: the ability
to connect with nearly any child that you encounter. You see the good in people (even if you have
to dig deep to find it) and you feel like every child can learn and succeed. It
is this spirit that will make you a great special education teacher (a thought that
you have been pushing away, embrace it). Don’t let doomsayers cause you to turn
away from a path that suits you.
You will experience many
challenges, but you are resilient and you will push through them. Remember to
plan carefully and not forget the details (like making copies days in advance).
Also, be sure to stay on top of deadlines and planning.
Good luck and hang tough,
Your Older, Wiser
Self
Ms. Spears,
ReplyDeleteThe one thing that really struck me was when you said don’t be so self-critical. I think this is a wonderful piece of advice. We are such perfectionists and want to be the best we can be but we have to realize that we will make mistakes and things will not go as plan. I also think listening to your gut is important. You will constantly be second guessing yourself but go with what you truly feel. It can be hard to always have to follow someone else’s rules and procedures, but if you can make it through student teaching you can make it through anything.
Thanks for sharing.
Mercedes,
ReplyDeleteYour letter to yourself was so heartfelt! Thank you for sharing this with us. Something you mentioned that really struck a chord in me was "follow your instincts." I think every good teacher has a built-in sixth sense that enables her to pick up on subtle nuances and instances of students' behavior and personalities. If a student is struggling (personally or academically) we need to trust our gut instinct that something needs to been done, some intervention needs to happen. Worst case scenario if we trust our gut? We're wrong and life goes on. But when we ignore our intuition, a student may suffer the consequences of our neglect. This also goes for lesson planning and assignments--if we get that "feeling" that an assignment won't work, we will need to shift gears quickly. I read somewhere about professions that require the quickest on-your-feet thinking. Teachers were ranked second, right behind trauma room doctors, so you can totally do this! I believe you have been given a gift in your desire to teach--and I am sure following your instincts will serve you well. Best of luck!
Amanda