Life of a teacher

Reflections on my teaching log component:

How did I cope with completing the three days of "Life of a teacher".

My first initial thought, when reflecting on my life of a teacher experience is the Block 1's Life of a teacher. In Block 1 I was definitely a lot more nervous than in block 2. I still felt new in the class and somewhat unsure what I was doing. However in Block 2 my confidence was there. I had an amazing mentor teacher who allowed me to observe for as long as I needed. She then told me what I was going to do and explained it well so that I understood. She would also give me hints on best ways to teach the different topics to ensure all learners understood. When taking on my two days of life of a teacher in the second block, I was calm and confident. I was also extremely prepared which always helps with nerves. I was able to complete my life of a teacher days and do all that was expected of me successfully and with confidence in my own abilities.

How did I feel taking on all the responsibilities of a teacher in Block 1 compared to Block 2.

The comparison on taking over the role and responsibility of my mentor teacher in block 1 compared to block 2 was definitely everything to do with familiarity. In block 1 I felt a lot of nerves for all aspects of teaching experience as it was all still new. However when block 2 came around my confidence had grown as I had created a relationship with my mentor teacher as well as my class. I had more confidence in block 2 as well as I backed myself and my abilities to complete the life of a teacher days a lot more.

Which activities did I find most challenging and how did I overcome them.

In the Life of a Teacher days there weren't to many tasks that I found challenging. The task that stands out most to me as being challenging or nerve racking was being in charge of everything fitting into the day. Therefore time management was an aspect I had to become familiar with quickly. When I was simply observing a day, it felt as though the day was long and there was plenty of time. When I was teaching the Life of a Teacher days flew by. This therefore really gave me great experience in my time management skills in a class as well as how everyday is different and will hardly ever go to plan in the foundation phase. This was a major growing point for me in adjusting and rolling with the punches in a foundation phase classroom. I overcame these challenges by familiarising myself with the bell times and then checking the time to ensure I'm moving at the right pace. For lessons that had a lot of discussion involvement I would set a timer to ensure we didn't talk the day away as learners in my class loved the involvement in classroom discussions.

Which parts of my self- evaluation survey would I rate myself higher on, compared to when I completed them before my Teaching experience began and how I have improved on them.

In my self evaluation task I would rate myself higher on almost all the aspects. When I was in the classroom, my natural instincts kicked in and I was able to do what was expected of me each day. I definitely doubted myself as well as my 'inner teacher'. The next time I am able to be in a classroom I will be more confidant and trust myself and my abilities more.

Comparing my comments from my teacher within my assessment report to that of my own self- evaluation before TE began.

At the end of my teaching experience I was given amazing feedback from my mentor teacher. My mentor teacher had full trust in me and my abilities. My comments from my mentor teacher were positive and motivating. This showed me that I too need to rate myself high as I am fully capable. I was fortunate enough to have an amazing teacher to follow and learn from and believe this plays a huge role in confidence as a teacher in a class.