LIFE OF A TEACHER

Completing the three days in the “Life of a Teacher” was an eye-opening experience. It was far more work than I had anticipated. There is hardly any time to sit back and relax. Except maybe in the staff room during break, but even there, work finds you. I realized that teaching is only a small part of the job; there is so much more involved beyond delivering content. Despite this, I felt confident and capable of taking on the challenge. My organizational and adaptability skills, along with the support of my amazing mentor, helped me manage everything effectively.

At the start of my teaching experience (Block 1), the first few weeks felt quite daunting. I had new students, new mentors, and a slightly different set of teaching experience portfolio tasks compared to last year. I was not sure what to expect, especially with the “Life of a Teacher” component of my portfolio. The thought of preparing and teaching lessons throughout an entire day and taking on all the responsibilities of the teacher felt intimidating. “Welcome to the real-world Bee,” as my mom would say. However, as time went on at Clarendon Park, I began to settle into the student teacher role and gained a clearer understanding of what needed to be done. By the final weeks of my teaching experience (Block 2), having observed my mentor enough, I understood her role and responsibilities within the school. This made managing my own tasks much easier.

One of the most challenging aspects was having two half-hour periods, one before and one after break. This disrupted the flow of lessons and put pressure on me to cover all the content. I overcame this by planning carefully and adjusting my approach to make the most of the limited time.

Looking at the results of my self-evaluation survey, I feel very ready and excited to enter the teaching profession as a beginner teacher. This final teaching experience gave me the confidence boost I needed before stepping into the real world.

When I compare my initial self-evaluation with my mentor’s final comments in the School Assessment Log & Report, I can clearly see my growth. I started with uncertainty but now feel more competent and prepared to take on the responsibilities of a teacher. The feedback from my mentor confirmed that I have developed the necessary skills and attitudes to succeed as a beginner teacher.