Day in the life of a Teacher Reflection

1. How did you cope/manage completing the three days of “Life of a Teacher”

 

As I learned I had to complete three days in the life of a teacher, I went in with an open mind and a willingness to learn. I believe many people underestimate how the lives of teachers go, oftentimes downplaying how intense their days are. Completing my first day in this life, I faced challenges. Though I attempted to keep a positive attitude and remind myself that I am learning, these challenges allow for growth. Another aspect that helped me grow was my mentor teacher providing guidance and allowing me to ask questions where she then provided meaningful advice. With the help of my teacher, I completed the schedule for the days to follow.

 

2. How did you feel taking on all the responsibilities of a teacher in Block 1 compared to Block 2?

 

In block 1 would describe myself as overwhelmed and anxious. The entire responsibility of managing a classroom for the entire day was daunting. I was overly nervous and I had been teaching classrooms I was unfamiliar with though as I progressed into block 2, I felt a lot more confident and in control. With the help of my experience in block 1, the challenges I faced were better as I anticipated what may happen and how to overcome these situations in the best way possible. Taking my experience in block 1, I bettered my teaching techniques and classroom management skills based on the lessons learned from the first day.

 

3. Which activities did you find most challenging? How did you overcome these challenges?

 

The most challenging activities for me were classroom management and how to handle disruptive learners. When conducting my first day, I struggled to maintain order and engagement, also struggling to get the content done for the day as some learners simply were not listening. Other teachers, advised me to be more stern and strict and implement classroom rules. Verily this helped when I had to complete my next days.

 

4. Analyse the results of your self-evaluation survey. Where would you rate yourself higher?

 

I would rate myself higher in terms of classroom management where I improved drastically as compared to my first day. Most definitely I was able to maintain a structured and disciplined environment which led to better engagement and behaviour.

Next is lesson planning where I have learnt to create more effective lessons to cater for the learner's diverse needs and learning styles by incorporating new methods and techniques as I have witnessed by other experienced teachers.

 

5. Justify how you have improved these competencies through this experience.

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My classroom management skills improved by implementing strategies which I had researched such as more group work as in this way, they learn and collaborate while engaging with their peers, and these strategies helped establish a more orderly and productive class.

My lesson plans had been improved as I had taken into account the diverse needs of learners, although I am still learning to better myself to allow the different learning and their learning styles to engage in the best way possible using their special learning styles. I often make use of exit tickets to gauge what they need, what is not working for them and how they would like to learn so I can make learning a fun experience.

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6. Look at the exit level outcomes and the final comments of your mentor teacher in your School Assessment Log & Report. Compare this to the initial self-evaluation you had completed at the beginning of your teaching experience.

 

My mentor teacher aided me in catering for the different learning styles, both she and I believe we can work on this skill with experience. As my mentor teacher described, I had proficient subject knowledge and had reliable methods to assess learning, lastly, reflection was considered as distinguished as my mentor teacher said. Comparing this to my competencies, I believe I have developed adequately though I can and will learn much more as I progress. Teachers are considered life long learners. I had rated myself competent in most questions which I believe is true though I can now say perhaps I am proficient.