Overall reflection of school visit

 

Reflection of the full school visit period

I cannot believe that I am done with teaching practice. The nine weeks flew by so quickly. Teaching practice was such an enriching experience and I grew as a teacher. However, I think that nine weeks is too long, since you have learned how the schooling environment works by the fifth week.

Practice teaching is challenging and I think that once you have completed your teaching practice, you should be able to determine whether teaching is the occupation that suits you the best. I have definitely become wiser and some of my character traits changed.  I am more mature and patient but most importantly, I am less judgemental. I see things from a different perspective and I am also more aware of what I do in public.

Before I started with practice teaching, I knew that it was going to be challenging, but I did not realize to what extent it is going to be challenging. I never realized how much work educators actually do and why they are always tired. Once I stepped into their shoes, I could comprehend the above mentioned factors. Even though teaching is more challenging than I thought it would be, I still want to become a teacher. One never really understands why teachers are always tired, but once you are placed in their shoes, you realize that a teacher’s responsibility does not end in the classroom. A teacher is also not just a teacher because you have to be a mother figure, psychiatrist and caretaker of the learners. The teachers are also involved in extra mural activities after school, which make the teacher even more tired.

Before I started teaching practice I could not picture myself as a teacher. I knew that I wanted to become a teacher but I was too shy and self-conscious. Each lesson that I presented took up so much of my time because I planned even lesson thoroughly. I started gaining self-confidence when I received good marks. The advice that the teachers gave me really improved my teaching and the quality of it. I experienced tremendous growth in the nine weeks and I have grown so much as a teacher and a person. No university can teach you what you learn during practice teaching. Thus practice teaching is the most important part of studying education (PGCE). The only limitations I experienced was the English teacher who prevented me from language lesson during the first 8 weeks of practice teaching. I do not think that I experienced other limitations, since I am a very flexible person. I have full confidence in my abilities as a teacher right now. By being able to control a class of 35 grade nine learners, I knew that I could do anything. I am able to do anything I also realized that I am the authority figure in the classroom, so I should not be scared to speak my mind when the learners are not behaving.

The most valuable aspects of my school visit were the fact that I grew close to the learners. I realized the importance of staff meetings and now the discipline learners. I also realized that the lesson never goes as planned on the lesson plan. Lastly, the teacher taught me that I should always assume that the learners know nothing. Firstly, the teaching practice has given me an insight into the schooling environment, since you are in school with real learners. This experience prepared me for the teaching profession, since I now know how a school environment works. I stepped into the shoes of a teacher and I got first-hand experience. I had the opportunity to teach alone for 3 weeks, so I felt the pressure that real teachers feel. I do not agree with people who say that anyone can become a teacher. You really have to be a compassionate person if you want to be a teacher.

There is not really an aspect of the teaching practice that I did not find valuable. Teaching practice was good learning experience but I think the extramural activities should be reduced based on the number of specialisation field studies you have. I did not learn anything from the other extramural activities, besides the activity I took part in. 

If I could do the teaching practice again, I would do it. I wish the teaching practice could be longer, but then the number of lessons should remain the same. Teaching practice was the best experience ever. I think that the university should however prolong the teaching practice and reduce the theoretical aspects of PGCE. The theory I learned during the first two terms did not really help me during teaching practice.