Reflections on Student Teaching

2018-2019 School Year

“The way we experience the world around us is a direct reflection of the

world within us.”
-Gabrielle Bernstein

The culmination of experience I have gained from my experience of student

teaching is absolutely an invaluable resource for me. Though I believe we are able
to learn a great deal from literature and studies, there is no better teacher than
experience. While student teaching a 9th grade Academic English classroom, my
knowledge of building rapport with students, exercising classroom management,
and collaboratively learning/teaching with students and fellow teachers was put to
the test. It was in this arena that I was able to truly put my skills to work, receive
critical feedback, and grow into the teacher I am now. As Cynthia McCabe
mentioned in her letter of recommendation, my ability to connect with, share
respect with, and create a safe learning environment for my students was among
some of my greatest strengths.
As a warm demander, I was able to create a respectful and reciprocal rapport
with my students. Students felt safe to take chances in answering during class
discussions without a fear of being wrong (and therefore shamed for being wrong)
because I created a safe environment for them to do so in. I did this by consistently
reminding them of the Growth Mindset, which places mistakes at the pinnacle of
being a sign of learning, rather than a lack of intelligence. I created respect for
students by providing them with options/choices involving their learning, which
then encourages them to develop autonomy. If you are able to treat the student as
a responsible and autonomous human, the student will usually rise to the occasion
(provided you are also providing them with enough scaffolding to access success).
Creating various modes of accessibility for the range of students I worked
with was one of my biggest challenges. While I am aware of the variety of
supplemental resources that I can provide to students, I learned from my
experience that it takes a large amount of organization and networking with fellow
teachers and administration to provide students with a wide range of access points
to their education. As an educator who is dedicated to creating equity in my
classroom, providing a wide range of access points to knowledge is imperative. I
have come to realize, however, that trying to provide this much access on my own
is an impossible task.
Student teaching has been an invaluable experience because it has provided
me the opportunity to co-teach with the English Department chair of the Title 1
school site I was placed at, collaborate with other teachers at IEP/intervention
meetings, and receive constructive feedback from school counselors/family
mediators/restorative justice leaders when I expressed concerns about particular
students. One of those students that comes to mind was in my 5th period English
class. She began the year with an IEP because of severe anxiety and visual
impairments. For the first 7 months of the school year, the student suffered
extreme anxiety around speaking in class, interacting with fellow classmates, and
would need to hide under her desk due to panic attacks that caused her great
amounts of embarrassment. My mentor teacher and I worked diligently with her to
create safety plans, alternative/modified assignments, and emotional support from
school provided resources. By the end of the seventh month of school, the student
began truly coming out of her shell. She made friends with a number of students
who would collaborate on classwork with her and support her when she needed
emotional support. My work to provide safety and rapport with her allowed us to
create a strong bond. As the eighth month came, the student began participating in
class discussions, her panic attacks/anxiety decreased dramatically, and she began
choosing to sit in the front of the class so that she could participate more fully.
This example taught me the truth in the quote I began this reflection with. If
I am able to be a teacher who reflects the behavior I desire for my students to
display, then I will continually see my students reflect respect, growth, and
compassion. Though this seemed like a simple task to me in the beginning of this
experience, I have learned that my ability to provide this kind of support for my
students consistently rests on my ability to also reach out for support from my
educational community. As Mahatma Gandhi suggests, I must learn to “Be the
change that [I]wish to see in the world.” I will forever be grateful for this experience and
the opportunity to continue to reflect the compassion, respect, and drive for knowledge
that I hope to see in my students.