Showing posts with label student. Show all posts
The Ups and Downs of Being a FUTURE Teacher
Though I am a future teacher. I call myself a teacher. I have grown tremendously while being apart of The University of Central Florida's College of Education and Human Performance. I would say that I am excited to get into the field of education, but I AM in the field of education. I have completed A LOT of service learning hours. These hours were not enough until this year. I have trained teacher candidates about the Junior Achievement Program (which is amazing, by the way), tutored my peers, and tutored a first grader. It also helps that I substitute teach as well.
And now the down side. No money, no money, and again, no money. I go into Internship I next semester. This is a two day a week internship that must be taken with three other classes. These three classes are only available in the daytime. So I've got internship Monday and Tuesday, then class mid-day Wednesday, all day Thursday, and thankfully, none on Friday. Now, I work during the day. How will I do this? I cannot work on nights and weekends due to family responsibilities. So tell me, where is this extra money going to come from?
It gets worse!!! As many current teachers know, the last semester at UCF is Internship II. 14 weeks of full time teaching...wait for it.....UNPAID. Now, I know that it would cost an arm and a leg to provide some sort of compensation for teacher candidates, but I wish there was something in place. In other majors, my peers get $2500 or less for interning. I know there must not be money in the budget for this, but still. For non-traditional students like me it would help. The next year will be a financial challenge, but I trust that God will help us meet our bills. He makes the impossible possible.
Teaching to Change Lives
A few weeks before creating this blog I watched the Pivot documentary "Teach." It was not watched without tears. I wondered how those teachers could make such a difference in their student's lives. How would I do the same? I want my students to change. I want them to go from "I hate school" to "I love and need school." But, how do I do that? I wan to inspire my students.
With the fall semester sadly, yet excitedly, coming to a close, today was the second to last tutoring session with my first grader. It was 12 weeks ago that we first met. She could barely read. She was as low as my four year old son who is not yet in Kindergarten. This was my first time being a tutor. I was worried and scared. Feeling a bit unsure about everything that I was doing with her, I kept at it. I assessed, treated, then reassessed, as we were told to do. We started off reading books at a level C, then I instinctively upped it to a level D. I felt that she could handle it. She did.
During today's session I did the level 6 DRA with her. I was worried that it would be too tough. Let's just say she scored a 96% in accuracy and an 18/24 in comprehension!!!!!!! She did it!!!!! She can read!!! I am so, so, SO proud of her. Next week, our last meeting, we're just going to play some reading games, and I'm thinking of making her a chalkboard necklace. She'll love that.
She did this all on her own. I felt that I didn't do this, she did. Then, I started thinking about how motivated she has become. I am not sure if I have anything to do with her new found motivation, but that is what has given her the power to read.
As I drove away from her school fighting back tears, I am sure that I will need to get my crying out before our last session. I am going to miss her so much. Sure, I will have other students in the future, but none of them will be her. I really hope that she doesn't cry next week. I don't know what I'll do. I don't know how those teachers on "Teach" fought back their tears, goodness.
In the beginning, I prayed. I asked God to give she and I the tools for her to get up to reading proficiency. It happened. I thanked God, over and over again.
I've changed in that God has shown me how I will change my future students. Motivation. Once I get them motivated, nothing will stop their success.
Tag :
assessment,
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difference,
DRA,
make,
motivate,
motivation,
Pivot,
read,
reading,
school,
student,
teach,
teacher,
tutor,
tutor make difference,
