Memoirs of a Student Teacher

Only a few weeks into student teaching and I am already having a few thoughts jumble up in my head. Which usually means I need to express them. So, whether you are currently a student teacher, might someday be a student teacher, or have no desire to ever come near student teaching (which is the wisest choice), I think we can all take a little away from the following:

1. Have an ally
Throughout the education program, we talk a lot about being an ally to our peers and our students. While that is all well and good, I think there is a lot more to be said about having an ally. Student teaching is stressful. Not only are you emotionally invested in every kid who walks through the door (which is like having your heart walk around the classroom vulnerably....NOT easy), but you are constantly critiqued on how those relationships pan out and how well you are setting these kids up for success. People pleasers of the world: this will be your living nightmare.

Allow yourself to trust a few people outside of school that you can just dish to. You can complain about your lesson, your students, or your evaluations in absolute confidence that they will support you and help you. For me, my main allies are my family members, my professor, and my student teaching cohorts. They keep me sane

2. Allow yourself to love what you do
Almost every teacher I have talked to has offered a warning about being too invested in the kids, and seem to almost constantly berate the teaching profession. They will try to convince you that paperwork is so exponential that it is impossible to teach, that students don't care, and that you can never really change the lives of your kids (uh, hello, ever seen Freedom Writers?!).

Despite the fact that you work with a whole bunch of people with sticks up their....lesson plans...YOU can LOVE what you do. While often time these joys will be expressed quietly (to avoid the inevitable scolding for when you find yourself swept up in the joy of teaching), find a way to enjoy what you do. You are too young and too motivated to be jaded just yet. Your positivity brings a heck of a lot of fun to the classroom. So let your heart ride the teaching roller-coaster.

3. Your joy is not dependent on the satisfaction of others
I had the strangest experience recently where I received positive feedback from an evaluation, got super excited about it, and then when we reconvened, this same person sort of knocked me down a few pegs. I have since tried to understand why this person would do that (were they afraid I was too confident? Did they reflect and realize I really am crappy? Huh?) I have decided that the best I can do is to acknowledge the feedback and move on.

There will be dozens of people in this world that will try to make you feel small or inadequate for not living up to their expectations. These people are not worth the time and energy to please! And while I do not believe this person was trying to hurt my feelings, I cannot allow his passing critiques to become my obsession. Instead [saying this to myself as well!], take what you can learn from and LEAVE the rest. Find joy in what you do, and do it well.


And while I may seem completely confident in my ability, inside my head I am TOTALLY not. From this I have learned that I need to be more careful to how I treat others. Even those who seem like they have it all put together need support and recognition.

XOXOX