What to Expect on your First Teaching Practice.
Hello again,
Fourth blog post of the night, I am on a roll! I know a lot of my fellow Hibernians are starting their first teaching practice in May, and I want to say the very best of luck! No pressure, but I have it on good authority that principals apparently go straight to your TP marks on your CV when looking for candidates to interview..so they are most important. Teaching practice grades reflect your ability to teach, and to teach well, which is what a principal wants. So my advice would be, give it your absolute all. It is only four weeks. It won’t kill you to give up your social life! This might sounds authoritarian but if it helps you stand out and get a job it is worth it. I am not saying not to have a college/life balance, you need that to keep you sane, but at the same time, don’t be afraid to put the work it. Believe me, it pays off. Here is a list of five things to expect on teaching practice.
1. Be prepared to be nervous. If you have school experience already you won’t be, but I know I was a nervous wreck. I was so afraid that they wouldn’t listen to me, that I wouldn’t be able to control them, and to teach. I was wrong thankfully! My fears were unfounded, and after the first day my nerves disappeared. It is however, quite daunting on that first day.
2. Be prepared to be a celebrity! Children get very excited when they spot you outside of school, be it in Super Valu, mass, anywhere.
3. Be prepared to spend hours on the internet. I never used text books on TP, never. Technically we are allowed if the teacher wants it, but I think it’s a bad idea. If you have to use them at teacher request do, but not for your supervisor! It is NOT what they want to see. They want posters, flashcards, games, active learning essentially!
4. Be prepared to learn a lot. I learned facts I never knew about hedgehogs, explorers, etc.
5. Be prepared to be broke! TP=ink=money=poor student.
In the first week of my first TP, I decided I didn’t want to be a teacher anymore. I could not take the noise, the constant busyness of the classroom, the stress! I had a constant headache for the first week. I got used to it by the second week and I loved it, so don’t worry if you feel like that, I am sure it’s normal, just takes some adjusting to!TP really isn’t as bad as people make it out to be. The hardest part is the planning in the evenings, the teaching during the day is the fun part.
Enjoy! If you have any questions or need help, contact me on my Facebook page.
Valerie
[pb_builder]