Because it had been a decade since I had worked with anyone under eighteen, I was concerned about my placement in kindergarten. Would I have what it takes? Today, I can say with confidence that I would love to have my own kindergarten class one day and am suited to be a teacher. A girl I mentor once compared me to a mullet because I’m “business in the front and party in the back”: I get things done but love to have fun. I’m optimistic and take joy in encouraging and affirming others. I’m imaginative and innovative. I’m excellent at planning, organizing, and directing. I’m patient and understanding, but can also push back and stand up for myself and for what I believe to be right and fair. I’m also a strong communicator, and my years of experience in business collaborating with anyone from field technicians to senior management has prepared me well for building relationships with parents, administrative staff, fellow teachers, specialists, social workers, and other invested parties. My most rewarding moments so far have been when, even after I’ve asked them to do something they didn’t want to do, said “no,” or otherwise corrected a behaviour, the children still want to hug me or hold my hand. It has affirmed that I’m able to instruct and be firm, but also to be kind and approachable.
Being in kindergarten opened my eyes to my need to unlearn my learning in order to work with each student and build competency step by step. I found this fascinating and intend to do more research on early literacy and numeracy development, as well as general childhood development, to understand this process better. In a similar vein, I can imagine that I might have difficulty giving kids the time they need to try, make mistakes, and try again, either because I feel pressed for time or because I have difficulty gauging where to set the bar to challenge but not overwhelm them. Adequate planning that includes open-ended activities, and contingency time both within the lesson and within the unit, will help me to accommodate this. Exercising my authority and having self-confidence as a teacher—more so in dealing with parents and the community than with students—are two more things I want to improve. I think this will come from knowing and understanding the assessment and evaluation processes better, developing a classroom management plan, and lesson planning, as these things will help me reflect on my intentions and practices, and will support and guide everything I do in the classroom.
I think the most significant challenges teachers face differ based on the relative developmental stage of the children, but there are some common threads. Three that I have identified are: 1) combating distractions; 2) developing healthy mental, emotional, physical, social, and spiritual habits; and 3) working with—not against and not instead of—parents.
For the first challenge, making the learning experience as engaging as possible is critical. Prior to my practicum, I thought the way to deal with distractions (especially electronic-related ones) was to use that technology for educational purposes. While I think this option remains, I now see the need to enable kids to experience and interact with their world through alternate and varied means, and to give them a break from electronic devices. I also think that creating a calm classroom that inspires kids without overwhelming them, and helping kids to filter, process, and respond appropriately to information are important practices.
Regarding the second challenge, guiding students to develop healthy habits depends a great deal on role modeling. This means not only practicing healthy habits inside and outside of school hours and sharing these with students, but also structuring my classroom and lessons to reinforce these habits. As an example, I would like to help prepare students for exams by doing review as well as physical activity followed by a drink of water, and suggesting practices for restful sleep and good nutrition. I think it is crucial for me to put myself in my students’ shoes and to look at how I can empower them holistically. If I cannot empathize imaginatively, then perhaps some informal surveys would aid with this.
The third challenge—working with parents—largely influences the other two challenges. It involves doing whatever I can to establish and maintain an open and honest relationship with the parents so that both parties know what they can expect of the other and where they can defer or need to consult. In many ways, the teacher functions like a third parent, and good parenting involves being consistent so that the child has set boundaries and expectations. Similarly, parents can extend (or inhibit or contradict) teaching outside of school hours. While it is not realistic to expect that the home environment will perfectly mirror the classroom (or vice versa), creating flexible and frequent means of communication, and offering a variety of opportunities for parent involvement may aid with aligning values, goals, and practices. It is also important that I share my teaching and disciplining practices, and ask the parents about their practices, humbly and respectfully, to better understand how I might tailor my approach with a student or with the whole class.
After a year of planning and waiting, I was famished on the first day of ED 2500. Each lesson and assignment; each discussion with my professors and peers; each conversation with my TA and other school staff; each observation of the teacher’s and school’s functions within the community; and each interaction with a unique and precious kindergarten student has been a small snack. It has helped tie me over, but I still have room for dinner, seconds, and dessert. I think I could feast every day and still be hungry. This experience has been everything I had hoped for and more, and has enabled me to begin tackling many of the questions, ambitions, and ideas I’ve had for years. I look forward to continuing to explore, experiment, and ultimately make a difference, in my after degree and beyond.