Internship September Reflection

            As the leaves begin to change and the air starts to cool, it is hard to fathom that October is now here and September of 2022 is nothing but a mere memory. For me, this past September is something that I hope always to be able to look back on with fondness as it was indeed a benchmark in my teaching career and learning journey, as it was the first month of my internship in a grade 2/3 classroom. An internship is an important time for all students within the education program, as we have the opportunity to take on teaching roles (with support from our cooperating teachers) for the fall semester. The University of Regina’s Educations program is excellent at giving students immense opportunities for field experiences. Last winter semester, I was given the rich opportunity to complete a pre-internship in a grade 3/4 classroom, which I will forever be grateful for. However, as I conclude my first month of internship, I recognize how unique and ground-breaking the experience is, as I am emerged in the class from the very first day. I see students’ growth, witness the set-up of routines and procedures, develop strong relationships, and grow as an educator in evolving my pedagogy. Moreover, I also recognize how essential a cooperating teacher is to the placement, and I can honestly say that I could not have hoped for a better one. Through my phenomenal co-op, I have learned so much, from adopting trauma-informed perspectives to utilizing innovative literacy methods such as the science of reading within the Sask Reads model. In addition, I often say that students give to you as much as you give to them, if not more. I would not be able to make this reflective post if it wasn’t for my remarkable students, as I am so grateful to learn, grow, and develop alongside them. Although I would love to share every learning experience and magical moment that has occurred for me this past month, I fear that this post may never end. Instead, I have broken my September learning experience down to three golden rules or takeaways I had.

1.) Relationships Are Everything:

        One thing that I have always emphasized within my pedagogy is the importance of relationships within the education setting. However, this semester was one of the first times I have been able to expand further and apply this due to being in the classroom from day one. I will also emphasize that relationships do not only mean the ones that educators create with their students (though I will argue those are the most important), but also the relationships that occur with educators and parents, along with colleagues and administration. After all, education is all about people and supporting the growth of students. If we as teachers do not have good communication with the parents of our students, we are not doing right by them. I view this communication line as a way to collaborate and learn from each other to best support said, student/students. Parents and guardians are experts on their child/children, and I have the duty to try to learn from their expertise. Next, relationships with admin and colleagues are critical to the flow of the overall learning environment. When educators are willing to work collaboratively and are supported by their admin, you can create an environment where the school functions like a team for the betterment of the students. Luckily, I have had both positive experiences when interacting with parents and my school team, which I am grateful for.

            Now I of course, must include my experience of creating solid student-teacher relationships over the past month. From the very first day of school, I wanted my students to feel comfortable and safe around me; in the past, I found that sharing elements or parts of my personal life with students humanizes me more. Therefore, I shared a bit about my hobbies and my two fur babies, Archie and Rudy. This fact alone opened different dialogues and conversations for my grade 2/3 students and me. In fact, it was just this past week when the students wanted an Archie and Rudy update. Moreover, I also find that learning about the student’s interests and passions is an essential part of growing relationships and better supports the students in the learning environment. For example, I know that one of my students has a family honeybee farm, prompting me to involve him more and add the life cycle of bees to my science life cycle unit. In addition, I quickly learned about another student’s interest in dinosaurs and space, which has allowed me to better support him in finding good-fit books each week during library time. Moreover, I find that when you have relationships with students, they feel comfortable coming to talk to you when there is a problem that they need help with. I recently had students confined in me when they had been experiencing some unkindness in the classroom. Allowing my co-op and I to nip the issue before things got out of hand; thereby creating a safer learning environment for everyone. The first month of internship has reaffirmed to me how meaningful relationships are within the classroom and contribute to students’ overall well-being.

2.) The “Perfect Teacher” Does Not Exist:

            One of the more shocking revelations that occurred to me during my first month of internship was that the “perfect teacher” does not exist. Now I was never naïve enough to think that being a “perfect teacher” was obtainable, as no one is perfect in life at anything. However, the perfectionist in me always assumed that if I was well-panned and had good relationships with my students, nothing could ever go wrong. However, as I mentioned before, education is all about people, and people are individuals who are all unique in their own ways. I have found that you can plan all you want, but nothing can prepare you for the real thing. After all, students are not robots’ situations happen, and it is how you, as the educator, respond to those situations that makes you stronger. Moreover, if we are not constantly reflecting on how we can improve on our teaching or lessons are we even growing? I can honestly say that even looking back on my “wow” lessons, I can still think of a few ways I would change or enhance them for the future, and I believe that’s what growth and lifelong learning as an educator looks like and means. Finally, to my last point, the “checklist” that all of us educators have will never get done as we are constantly adding to it, and thinking of what we can do, add, change, or plan to our classrooms to best support our students. However, at the end of the day, I am glad that the “perfect teacher” does not exist, as I do not expect perfection from my students; I do not believe my students expect perfection from me. I find that if I am enthusiastic and excited, giving my students rich learning experiences and showing my genuine care for them, that is all my students need from their teacher. At the end of the day, if I am doing right by my students, that’s all that matters.

3.) The Power of Experiential Learning:

            My final takeaway from September is the critical importance of integrating experiential learning experiences for students. I understand that there is always a time and place for direct instruction, and it is even necessary, depending on the learning context. However, I have found that through frequent experiential learning experiences, particularly at the primary level of my students, there is room for a deep understanding and rich learning to take place. In my opinion, the more hands-on the learning, the better. In addition, I have found that experiential learning allows for room for modifications to occur when supporting students’ learning needs and applying adaptations. Whereas a worksheet, for example, that is used with direct instruction does not allow for such simple modifications or choice learning. Moreover, my students showed genuine excitement when experiential learning was used in the classroom. My students had takeaways so insightful and unique that I would have never expected them to come up with such points in any other learning experience. The following are examples of experiential learning experiences I planned for students in September.

• Making STEM towers in teams to teach about teamwork:
• Brainstorm healthy and unhealthy habits:
• Assembling the parts of a flower out of playdough:
• Doing an outdoor scavenger hunt for science:
• Outdoor field trip to Brown’s Coulee (thanks to my co-op for planning this)

Thank you for taking the time to read my September internship reflection.