I have one more week of student teaching which is hard to believe. I learned a lot during these 15 weeks ranging from the importance of setting rules and expectations at the beginning to the importance of building positive relationships with your students. I am grateful for my cooperating teacher who showed me the ropes and truly pushed me to be the best version of myself.
The amazing @raehughart sent me a tweet on Thursday about how I should never be okay with comfort. She tweeted "Never get Comfortable - comfort means you need to try something new!". I thought about those words afterwards, and I realized that it is important to stray away from the status quo. For me, Twitter provides me with the opportunity to venture outside of my comfort zone and take a risk. I joined Twitter last May, and in a year, I have grown my PLN to include over 2,000 members which is truly humbling due to having that notion of just being a pre-service teacher and not having a lot to offer. I could not have been more wrong because I have heard from a few individuals that I inspire them to connect on Twitter and take a risk. That article that was published by the college of education at my university meant a lot to me because it showed me that my hard work is paying off and that people do take note of the time I spend building my own network. At first, Twitter was just a hobby during the summer, and I tried to participate in at least one chat each evening. I took about an hour a night to jump in and connect with others, and even throughout the school year, I still devote an hour to unwind and jump on Twitter in order to get recharged for the day ahead. Now, of course, it is an investment due to needing to find the time to get on Twitter and connect with others, but, to me, the growth I have experienced is worth more than anything. I consider myself to be an introvert, and Twitter gave me the confidence I need to share my thoughts with the world. I have always loved to write, but I never would have started a blog if I did not see others doing it on Twitter. My PLN is interested in hearing my perspective due to it being a fresh perspective, and the fact that I have had opportunities to be a leader in terms of starting my own chat and even contributing door prizes to the edcamp is great. I am able to learn from others, and although I have a lot to learn, I feel like I am heading in the right direction due to staying connected and learning more about the profession that is my passion. I recently watched "The Greatest Showman", and one quote from the song "The Other Side" resonates with me. That line is "So trade that typical for something colorful. And if it's crazy, live a little crazy." I took a risk and joined Twitter a year ago. My professors have been super supportive and encouraging, and although it is an investment, Twitter has changed my life. I am a testament to the impact Twitter can have because, although I am still looking for a teaching position, I know that I can mention the professional development opportunities that I have had and the fact that I learn beyond the classroom. I am young and excited about my future, and I know that my passion will be sustained due to continuing to make it a priority to connect on Twitter. I am still in shock when people say I inspire because I am continuously inspired my members of my PLN who are innovative, kind, and true leaders that push me to be better on a daily basis. I do not want to settle for average. Of course, I want to teach and make a difference, but Twitter gives me the chance to be a leader. I go on Twitter because I have a passion for learning, and I am doing it for the students that I teach. I want to teach better and stay current so that I can give my students the education that they deserve. I am okay with taking risks because I know that implementing something new takes time. As a soon to be 1st year teacher, I know that I want to feel comfortable and play it safe, but that strays away from what I desire from myself. I want to dip my toes in just like a child slowly entering the ocean, but eventually, I want to dive right in and let the waves propel me in the direction I want to go. I have a dream to write a book pertaining to education and my social media usage, but, again, I do this because I love working with young adolescents and have been inspired by the gifts they share with the world.
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Due to graduating in three weeks which is genuinely a dream come true for me, I wanted to take this time to thank my former teachers and how they have inspired me to become a teacher. As a young child, I wanted to teach, but if it was not for my teachers, I am not sure if I would have continued to pursue down this path. They inspired me with their kind hearts on a daily basis and were the perfect examples of the teacher I strive to be like in the future.
It all started with my 4th grade teacher who reminded me of Mrs. Honey from Matilda. She was kind, and she welcomed me in due to being a new student at the school. She made me feel like I had something to offer, and I still remember when she gave me a bag of tootsie rolls which were my favorite candy due to being one of the students who read the most books. I remember that moment like it was yesterday because this was the 1st time in my life when a teacher truly cared about who I was a person. I wrote in my journal from that year that I wanted to become a teacher, and I know that she is a major reason why. In 5th grade, I had a rough year. I broke my arm, and my grandma ended up passing away which resulted in me missing school for 3 weeks due to needing to travel to Poland for the funeral. I remember arriving back home after the 3 weeks have passed by and seeing a note from my teacher in the mail. She told me that she was praying for me and my family, and she genuinely cared about what I was going through. I was young, but that moment meant a lot to me due to her going the extra mile and showing me that she truly cared. During middle school and high school, I have also met countless educators who have shaped my life. If I wrote about each one of them, this blog would quickly turn into a story. I know people say that, if you have one person who cares about you, you are lucky, but I have such a huge support network which ranges from my family, PLN, former teachers, and my professors. I am still in the process of applying for teaching positions, and yesterday, I decided to go out for tea with my friend around 10 in the evening due to needing a break from job applications. What started out as a quick run to tea became the inspiration for this blog post. Yesterday, right behind my friend and I in line, a group of 4 students were behind us waiting to order. I glanced at them and proceeded with my order, but when I walked past them, I heard whispers like "She was so nice". It turns out that these four girls were my former students. I interned at a school last semester, and these students remembered me. Due to them being nervous to say hi, I approached them and had a brief conversation. They mentioned that they were in 8th grade now, and I mentioned that I would be graduating in a few weeks. To them, it may have been just a brief encounter with a former teacher, but, to me, it was the first moment when I felt like I truly made a difference. I remember seeing teachers at a store and being afraid of approaching them, and it was an eye opening experience for me to see that the table has turned. I want to be the kind of teacher who talks to former students and takes the time to say hi when they are hesitating . Our kids deserve to have someone who cares on their side 24/7, and yesterday, I shifted my perspective and realized the immense power I have to be a teacher that they remember. I hope my future students say "She was so nice" when they see me walking by, and I am excited for my future because I now realize that I can be the type of teacher I dreamed about becoming. Never lose your passion, and keep your light shining brightly. Our students need you, and they deserve your passion and genuine goodness . When I am wondering if I am making a difference, I will think back to those four students who reassured me that I absolutely am. While the rest may still be unwritten, I know that I am on the right path. I aim to live a life I am proud of. As @nankr1120 tweeted out, " To believe you can strengthens every fiber of your being, to believe you are worthy humbles your core. But to be believed in creates endless possibilities." Without people believing in me, I do not know where I would be today. I aim to inspire, and even though I was born premature, I have come a long way, and I have faith that my story will inspire others. I learned a lot this week and pushed myself to be more consistent while implementing new ways to get my students attention. At first, I was using the "if you hear me, clap once", and it did work for a while, but as my former supervisor said, I should use it until it does not work anymore. This week, I transitioned to just raising my hand and waiting for the students to follow my lead. This, along with changing the seating arrangement, has been helpful in regards to classroom management. Classroom management is one area that I am trying to improve in because I want all my students to be able to learn, and although I know that it is broad, I want to have a toolkit that I can utilize down the road because what works for this group of students may not work for my students that I have next year.
My cooperating teacher has been writing day to day comments and suggestions on how my lessons are going, and this has been great for me because I am able to read the comments prior to teaching the lesson again to another group of students and make those changes. A lot goes on in a day, but the fact that I get to pause and reflect is crucial to becoming an effective teacher. Due to it being my student teaching semester, I have had a lot on my plate with EdTPA and the job search, and although some days are easier than others, I love what I do and am grateful for the experience I am receiving because, even though I have room for improvement, I know that I have grown a lot since my first clinical experience. The reason that I titled this blog post never lose focus is because, ever since I was a little girl, I have wanted to teach. That passion for teaching burns inside of me and is something that I hope others see. At first, I was discouraged because I was doubting myself and my abilities, but looking back, those doubts and insecurities that I sometimes faced pushed me to work twice as hard to overcome them. I remind myself to never lose focus and keep my arrow pointing forwards. I may take a few steps back sometimes, but I am further than I ever dreamed possible. Many things have happened this week that showed me I am on the right path. In the back of my mind, I was stressing about EdTPA due to needing to complete it this weekend, but in the midst of that, I got an email that an article would be published about my Twitter presence, and after applying for two teaching positions two days ago, my principal at the school where i am currently student teaching told me today that I have an interview on Monday for an ELL teaching position. I believe that all things happen for a reason, and I know that where I end up teaching is the place where I was meant to be. I just need to follow my arrow wherever it points and keep striving for genuine goodness. To conclude, I am thankful for my amazing PLN who always provide me with words of encouragement, I would not be where I am today without all of you, and I am so blessed. |
AuthorMy name is Ms. Jachymiak, and I am a pre-service teacher currently attending Illinois State University. This blog follows my journey as a student teacher. @MsJachymiak Archives
May 2018
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