Written by:
Kayla Erickson
agriscience education
senior
Student teaching has been a whirl wind of emotions. Some good, others not quite as a good but the whole experience has been amazing none the less. One of my favorite parts of student teaching has been getting to know the students. Each student has their own personality. In turn, each class has its own personality. Some things work for some students and classes while they do not work with others. It’s been fun getting to know the personalities of the students and the different classes and differentiating for each.
A part of student teaching that I have struggled with is behavior management. I have a hard time deciding where my line is. The students definitely test that line, but it is hard to discipline them if I am not sure where it is. My cooperating teacher has been great about giving me advice and helping me through this learning curve. I have also got good advice before from my peers as well. While I struggle with this part of teaching, I appreciate the opportunity to learn from my mistakes and successes throughout this process.
I was not really sure what to expect when I began student teaching. I thought that I was unprepared, I was concerned with making relationships with students, and whether teaching was a good fit for me. Standing on the other end of student teaching, I realize that I was as prepared as I could have been for the experience. I often had to remind myself that four months was not a lot of time to form strong relationships. I made relationships with students that were unique to the experience. I am sad to think that I may not get to see the students anymore. We learned a lot together throughout my time teaching. As far as teaching being a good fit for me, I will say that I was not sure that I would teach up until this point. After student teaching, I could absolutely see myself becoming an agriscience educator.
My cooperating teacher and I are very similar. I think that our personalities and out teaching styles are very much alike. I think the students appreciated the similarities. I think that made the transition a little easier for them. The individuals that chose the student teaching placements did a fantastic job when they picked my placement and cooperating teacher.
The thing that I will miss the most about student teaching will be the students. I have enjoyed getting to know them and their learning needs. I will also miss working with my cooperating educator and learning from her years of experience. The students, teacher, and school district that I have gotten to be a part of has been so welcoming and great to work with throughout my experience.
The entire experience has made me look forward to having a classroom of my own. I am excited to decorate the room and interact with the students on a daily basis. I am looking forward to experimenting with lessons to see what works and what doesn’t work. I look forward to developing relationships with students, faculty, and staff within the school that I will be working with. I am excited for the next step in my teaching career.
I have earned a lot of valuable experience from my time student teaching. I am sad that it was cut short, but I am thankful for the time that I got. I am looking forward to the next steps in my teaching career.
Below are some pictures from my student teaching experience.
