Students example essay topic

Student Teaching Graduate Paper Spring 2004 As the time approached, my attitude toward student-teaching was one of confidence and in some ways overconfidence. I believed that I was equipped with all of the tools necessary to be a superior teacher. Little did I know what truly goes on behind the scenes of a teacher. Between grading papers, attending meetings, and preparing lessons, I would often feel overwhelmed. Still, student teaching would prove to be much more valuable than I anticipated. It would teach me to appreciate the wisdom of mentors and experienced teachers, value or being organized and prepared, and lastly the resilience of students.

Student teaching has taught me to appreciate the wisdom of mentors and experienced teachers. There were several times when my field based supervisors pointed my in the right direction when faced with challenges. I recall a student that I suspected to have copied his homework from other students. I stressed that we figure out how he did it but I could not some up with any definite facts to prove he had did so.

Ms. Darling insisted that I not worry about it and if he did cheat then it would be revealed on his exam. Surely enough, the student failed his exam miserably. During a teacher / parent conference, I asked him how he managed to receive an A on all of his homework and fail his exam so poorly. To my astonishment the student confessed to having copied his homework from other students. His mother immediately addressed both issues with her child and needless to say I did not have the problems form the student anymore. During my computer Information technology Course, discipline problems plagued me during the first two weeks of student teaching.

Mr. Washington, another field based supervisor told me to began calling parents immediately after class. He told me to call everyday if I had to. Surely after a few phone calls to parents, behaviors adjusted quickly. By the end of my student teaching time period, in my opinion I had a model classroom as far as classroom behavior goes. Additionally, student teaching has taught me that organization and preparedness are keys to having success.

With advice from other student teachers bell ringers became a subtle reason for my success in improving my classroom management skills. I learned that by occupying the students immediately with work it seemed to have a calming affect upon then. They came to understand that they had approximately five minutes to complete their assignment and also understood its value. Also being competent and knowledgeable in your content are important to teaching effectively. I will admit that during the first two weeks I wasn't the most confident in teaching Accounting, a subject I struggled with during college. Students often had very challenging questions that I could not immediately answer.

I learned from them that I needed master the concepts of each lesson before teaching it to them. Lastly, it was very humbling to come to know many of unfortunate issues many of the students face at Corliss High School. Often many of the students are from poverty-stricken communities, have been abused, face the problems of violence and drugs, and so forth. Still, they value education and often were able to excel above my expectations.

It was instances like these that further led me to push students in a positive direction. The resolve of our youth is amazing! Now that student teaching is over I have such a greater appreciation for the process. I have learned so much from the field and campus based supervisors. I manage my time better I am more confident with my content area. Lastly, I understand that all students of capable of excelling just at different levels.

With the knowledge I gained from experiences alone I know now that even though I have long ways to go becoming a superior teacher is not out of my sight.