I enjoyed the EDUC 391 practicum experience immensely, and I’m a little sad that it is over. I found it incredible to realize the relationships that can be formed over a few short weeks, and I am inspired by the capacity for learning that the young people I was privileged to spend the time with showed. So many aspects went well, but I would have to say that my favorite is the conversation portion at the beginning of each class.

Students wrote suggested topics on small pieces of paper and then I drew one or two each morning, and we discussed whatever that topic might be. I used popsicle sticks with their names on and drew them randomly to make sure everyone had a chance to speak. They all had the option to say “pass” but even the most shy students rarely did. They were eager to talk because they got to choose the topics and express their opinions. A wide range of conversations ensued, encompassing everything from what goes on pizza to politics and morality.

We discussed how to have important conversations, how to create a safe space for everyone’s views, and how we can comport ourselves in effective, meaningful ways to get our point across. We discussed the differences between a conversation and debate. There were tense moments, where they needed to be reminded that we speak to explain our unique situations and that we listen to understand where others are coming from. As the days progressed, I found that the students needed fewer reminders, and were able to articulate their points of view and listen to others without attacking one another. The added benefit that I had not anticipated was how close-knit and supportive of one another the class became. It was heart-warming to listen to the way they spoke to each other with respect, empathy, and the desire to understand one another.

When my coaching teacher and myself discussed my strengths as a future educator, she said that I “embrace teacher-as-person”. She explained that this was a focus when she was taking her teacher training and the concept is embodied when a teacher is able to be real with students, showing themselves as a whole person, who makes mistakes and learns alongside the students, who lets them in on their thought processes, emotions, and how to deal effectively with them. It is the balance between letting students know who you really are and still garnering the respect necessary to teach. I am deeply honored that she thought this of me, because it is important to me to see others as people first, and then within whatever role they might be filling at the time.

While I was working on many aspects during my practicum and will continue to work on them, relationships was my main focus. As the importance of relationships had been repeatedly mentioned, I wanted to see if I felt there was an impact on my practice. Three weeks is an extremely short time, but by focusing on being actively interested in what they were doing and how I could help, what they liked, and what they wanted, I feel that several relationships were forged. Some students started talking to me every day, approaching me during lunch or break to confide in me or ask for help with something school related. During the last week, several expressed concern about not seeing me again, so I feel that I was successful in that regard.

To my surprise, the relationships we formed affected me, too. I am normally not the kind of person to do extra work where I’m not being paid, but I’m planning to continue going in to the school on Tuesdays. I want to see these phenomenal young people and support them, and the reward is the relationships themselves. While I love being around teenagers because they are having fun and are full of potential, I had not expected to feel so uplifted and rejuvenated in their presence.

My successes in EDUC 391 practicum have been encouraging, but I feel that I am still struggling with time management. It is hard to guess the timing for activities that I have never tried with a class before, and harder still when I only had 3 weeks to get to know the students abilities. I experienced so much learning through trial and error, and found that adding time-stamps to my lesson plan really helped to keep me on track. There were still times when I was completely off on the amount of time I had allowed for an activity, but I feel I am getting better at it. Time management is something that I will continue to work on in coming practicums, and I can honestly say that I will never forget the value of relationships when it comes to teaching.