I MADE IT!

I made it! I finished my 10-day unit plan. Even though I will miss teaching, I am overjoyed to be done. Taking 18 credit hours while student teaching is proving to be a bit too much for me to handle. I wanted to make my lessons very creative, but sometimes my imaginative lesson plans fell short due to other projects and midterms. My advice to those thinking about student teaching or who will eventually be student teaching, get most of your classes out of the way before your senior year. Even though I’m loving this semester, it is very hard for me to keep up with the demanding schedule.

To add to my excitement about finishing, I received my student evaluations. After finishing my lesson plan on Tuesday, the students filled out a teacher evaluation form. My student teaching supervisor stayed after class and gave me feedback on the lesson. He suggested while assessing my students/ asking questions, move around the room more. His constructive criticism only inspired me to work harder next semester. After finishing, I couldn’t wait to read the students’ comments. I sprinted to my car, opened up the folder, and braced myself before reading their remarks. I prepared for the worst, but prayed for the best. To my amazement, the students really enjoyed my lessons. They wrote incredibly nice comments and gave great constructive criticism. All of their “negative” comments will only make me stronger as a teacher. Some said I needed to work on “cracking the whip;” others thought I should explain assignments better. All of this motivated me to try and work harder. One girl handed me a note while leaving. I opened it after reading all the other evaluations. After reading the first few lines, tears started dwelling in my eyes and my heart felt warm. She wrote me the most incredible poem, followed by encouraging words. Her final sentence read “Miss Chambers you’re going to make a wonderful teacher, so don’t fret!” That small note made the all-nighters, stress, and anxiety worthwhile. Every doubt in my mind about being a teacher melts away with that one sentence. This is a great profession. The pay might not be a lot, but one small comment, even one sentence, makes all the hard work meaningful.