Defining the Why

2nd Period Animal Science

Defining the Why

As I walked out the door on Friday I could help but remember that this is the end.  I successfully completed student teaching.  As I drove the hour and a half back to berks county I couldn't help but think to myself a couple of reflective questions.

What was the point of student teaching?

"The only source of knowledge is experience." I think the student teaching experience taught me that the most.  The parts of a lesson I undervalued were things that in the beginning I struggled at.  Something that made an impact on me though, was being able to sit there and work on it. We go to college for all those years but we don't get a chance to demonstrate to ourselves teaching till you are teaching seven class periods in a day.  I think I gained experience and that was important.  In college we are told to be "Dewey Learners" but it isn't until student teaching does the concept of Learning by Doing really hit home.

What was my goal with student teaching?

I wanted to experience a lot. And with my experience at Cumberland Valley I got to experience a lot.  I saw students spend hours in the department, students practice independently on CDEs and SAEs. I saw students invest time into competitions that I never would have expected.  I also got to learn about different ways to teach which was a great plus as well.  I think my goals were met but not in the way I expected.

1st Period AFNR

What is next?

I know there is still a lot I can learn from and I am excited to see where I can go from here.  There are things I know I wasn't the best at and I think that with hard work I will get better and better.  The journey is one chapter and a time and I can't wait to see what is in store for me next.

To Be Continued . . . 

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