It is hard to believe that my journey as a student teacher has come to an end. I can recall the first day that I walked into Ms. Maryann’s first grade classroom at the Taos International School. I have to be honest I was nervous; I was not quite sure how these young students would react to seeing a new face in their classroom. I also learned very quickly that my cooperative teacher was amazing! With twenty-six years of teaching experience she provided me with appropriate guidance and feedback. I never felt unsupported. If I had questions, she had answers. If I ran into a problem, she would advise me on how to approach the situation in a respectable manner.
During the time that I was in the first-grade classroom, I learned a great deal about the student’s strengths and weaknesses. I knew that some students needed extra guidance, in reading and math. Without hesitation, I began to work with a small group of students who were excited and ready to learn.
As I approached my final semester of student teaching, I learned that my cooperative teacher and I were moving to the fifth grade. I was excited and ready to work with the older students. It was quite different, the students were independent, and sociable. Just as I did with the first graders, I began to work with a small group of fifth graders. Two of which were on an IEP, one who was an English Language Learner and two others who needed extra help in reading comprehension and math. I enjoyed my weekly sessions with my small group. However, my cooperative teacher encouraged me to slowly take over the class. Eventually, she was asking me to substitute for her. Which I was excited to do. I got the chance to teach lessons and have class discussions with the students.
Just as I was getting comfortable teaching the class. School abruptly stopped due to the COVID 19 pandemic. We as teachers found ourselves making learning packets for our students who did not have internet or computer access. We began online teaching, some students struggled more than others to adjust to this new learning platform and others jumped right in without skipping a beat. My Cooperative teacher and I realized that we had to stay connected to our students, so we used the Remind app and created a Zoom link, that we used every Monday to see and communicate with our students.
Although, my time in the classroom with the fifth graders was cut short, learning and teaching must continue. It is amazing how adaptable we are. If I learned anything from my student teaching experience, it would be that we as teachers need to be ready to teach from anywhere. Lessons never go as planned and off the topic discussions do happen! As my student teaching journey comes to end, I will continue my educational journey as the new fifth-grade teacher at the Taos International School.