Today I walked into my practicum classroom for the last time. It was a bittersweet day. My third graders taught me so much more than I could ever teach them. My classroom management has gotten so much better over the course of the semester. I went from having little control of the classroom to having almost complete control.
This practicum experience also showed me what I do not want to do as a teacher. My cooperating teacher used a lot of worksheets and the children were often disengaged in this type of activity. I always tried to make sure that when I taught I did something exciting and there was not a worksheet in sight.
I'm still working on getting my teacher voice, it's slowly getting firmer and louder ;)
I learned that I love to teach in small groups because it is beneficial to both the students and to me. I can differentiate the material to make sense for each group, and I can also get to know the students on a more personal level. My teacher did small groups for reading and math, which I definitely want to incorporate into my own classroom.
I am sad this experience is over, but I am looking forward to getting to work with two new grades in a new school next semester :)
