Having experienced a wonderful first week at the Brock Hamilton Campus, I find myself reflecting about my new position as a teacher candidate and what that means. I realize I am embarking on an incredibly exciting year that is going to be full of new experiences and challenges. This will be my last formal year enrolled in an educational program as a student. While I am dedicated to being a life-long learner and will always be improving on my skills and taking new classes to do such, this next year with my cohort represents the transition period from my role as a student to that of an educator. While I cannot imagine my life outside of a classroom, from now on I will be the administrator of that class and it will be my responsibility to ensure that my students are nurtured in a safe pedagogical space.
Despite this kind of role-reversal, I am interested in the ways in which I will always and forever be a student of the classroom. I am going to learn alongside my students who themselves will teach me valuable information about their lives and the world around them. Children have remarkable insight and tend to ground me in a way that no one else can. I need and want to learn from my students as much as they need to learn from me. In my primary/junior language class, Dean Pilkington talked about how it is important for teacher’s to be a “guide at the side” and not simply a “sage at the stage”. While I will be taking on this new role of authority figure and educator at the front of the classroom, I want to always ensure that I am also the “guide,” that is learning amongst and with my students on an everyday basis. While embarking on this exciting transitionary phase I believe its important to remember that I will always be a student and learning, and that likewise, students are always instructors in their own unique way. We are all learners and educators both in and outside the classroom.
I am curious as to how my peers feel about this transitionary period in their lives and am eager to hear the responses and personal reflections of other teacher candidates.
Lisa,
ReplyDeleteFantastic first post. What resonated most with me was when you say, "I am going to learn alongside my students who themselves will teach me valuable information about their lives and the world around them". Learning from our students is something that we educators need to welcome - I am so so glad that you are already seeing the potential for that, especially in times that are changing so fast.
You are so lucky that you can recognize the transition that you are going through...from student to teacher and yet, you still see yourself as a lifelong learner. Just awesome.
As I read through your post, in many instances you say, "I want", "I believe", "I need to", "I will ensure"......I wonder, how does this translate into your own philosophy of education?
I wonder, what circumstances in your life as a learner gave you these core beliefs and values as an educator?
Congratulations on your first post Lisa! I think you hit the nail on the head here. It is so important to dedicate yourself to learning something new every single day. Continue to build and lean on your PLN. You will QUICKLY learn that your PLN is the most important tool in your toolbox. You are certainly on your way to greatness. We are excited to have you as part of our educator "family." :)
ReplyDeleteLisa, this is a great first post! I'm very much a believer of learning alongside my students, and it's taken some time for me to help figure out the best way to make this "philosophy" a "reality" in the classroom. How do you plan on being this "guide on the side?" What do you envision your classroom to look like? I'm excited to hear about your teaching adventures this year, and about how your teaching philosophy continues to grow and change with each new experience!
ReplyDeleteAviva