Cheesecakes and Cupcakes: Difficulties in the Student Teaching Experience

            The student teaching program is one of the few last steps to becoming a real teacher. Although a student in the pre-service training must think and acts like a real teacher to his/her utmost advantage, it cannot be denied that circumstances will make him/her novice in the teaching profession. One involved in the student teaching program has just come out of the theoretical world and that world of simulating actual teaching. Teaching is an amalgam of theory and practice. A student teacher has nonetheless garnered ample knowledge of teaching and learning, yet a rookie in this crucial world of channeling learning.

            Yet, the pre-service training is advantageous by all means. It is the real repository of pedagogical content and experiential knowledge. Nothing can surpass the semester in the purpose of molding a prospective teaching. It is a cruel world for us, so we must be subjected to pressures and constraints. This experience is a multi-purpose oven that gives heat and pressure to produce sweet cakes and pre-heat food for good consumption. Like these things, a teacher must be ready to fulfill his/her duties and responsibilities. We are like cheesecakes and cupcakes. As much that these cannot be made without their ingredients and the oven, a teacher cannot be such without the theories from undergraduate courses and the experience from pre-service training—the oven. In any way, the heat and pressure when subject to the oven are not desirable. They induce pain and damage, as much that the student teaching will inflict pain, constraints and a myriad of difficulties that pose as challenges.

            I myself am not resistant to pain, constraints and difficulties. There are minor problems that can just pass by and be endured without serious damage. There are those who post serious consideration.

            I have long lamented those things that have been minor problems. Constraints when it comes to expenses were lasting from the very start yet I managed to create materials by recycling things and being thrifty every day. I am even prouder that I have circumvented this problem and endured their consequent issues. However, I cannot help but be threatened by this constraint. Could I have been able to supply the expenses, I could have delivered my tasks even more efficient. Sometimes, envy to my colleagues come but again, I do not consider this problem monumental. I am fond of this constraint. J This I have smoothly carried along with others.

            The thing that has been challenging me goes with the people I and closely working with. This would include my mentor and co-student teacher with him. My cooperating teacher has not been consistent during observations. We are handling all his classes so he is left with no class to manage. Thus, he goes to school in the middle of those periods. This would mean that he cannot observe the beginning of the class. Also, he goes out amidst the class so he has been interpreting the coherence of my methodologies as lacking. Suppose he was right on, I cannot consult with him since he also goes home early. There are three Science 6 classes, yet he was observing my class only due to this habit. Thus, I was the only one noticed. Most of the time, I do not agree with his criticisms. At this point, the other Science 6 student teacher is another problem. Most of the time, he was not observed by our cooperating teacher. But as his peers, we in the department notice his lack of plan or at least structure to actual class. There are a lot of instances that affect me directly and my colleagues indirectly. There were times that he will borrow my visual aids to implement to his class. I handle the second class, so he would not implement this in the first class and do so in the third one. I tried at first to be more collaborative that his personality keeps me away. We clash sometimes for valid reasons. He was too dependent on answer keys, imitating my methods and constructing assessment tools. During the days when he grades were worked on, he has crammed checking too may papers and blame that he has two sections while I have only one. When in fact, he does nothing in the department other things but check papers.

            Sometimes, these problems cause me to doubt myself or mar my will and determination. In the end, it taught me that teaching is not only challenging inside the classroom but on all corners of the school. Dealing with extreme professionals might be one flavor to molding teachers.

Teacher of the Nation

A Reflection in the Student Teaching Experience

              The pre-service training is the most anticipated part of being a prospective teacher. Every education major’s endeavors and hardships lead to this one thing that will provoke a taste of what’s ahead in real life. That is, one is provided the guided experience before jump starting a whole new life as a professional. Being a teacher is definitely not an easy undertaking despite all undermined perspectives, since the great chunk of the development of the future generation lies among their hands. Thus, the nation’s entire future is technically among teachers’ hands and excellence.

              Even before the pre-service training, I always believe in the big role that teachers play in nation building. The impact that teachers inflict among students in their partaking role in the society has always been my drive to be great at teaching. As I have mentioned at the start of the pre-service training, I have always believed that the classroom is my place on earth where I can maximize my potentials, and have something unique to offer my country. Every single lesson I implemented was rooted and will be rooted in the drive that the students that I handle will carry the loads of the society when the right time comes along.

              Now that the student teaching program is about to end, I only feel excitement to venture out into the real world. This anticipated exhilaration is being brightened with the idea that I can now give substantial contribution with the profession I love and chose as an instrument. My greatest wish is to become one with the frontrunners in the education sector one day and finally being a teacher brings me closer to that long term aspiration. Ideal as one might become, I really desire to be up there and revolutionize Philippine educational system. Besides, this is one of those things that must be left of an “Iskolar ng Bayan”, that love for change and progress even in the slightest method possible. I was exposed to the societal host concerns and I was only made adamant in the goal to go out there and contribute something. I believe one door to do such is being a teacher for the nation.

              But as much that I am being thrilled with the anticipation, I also feel disheartened I have left only a few days with my beloved students, co-teachers, mentors and the school community itself. Fourth quarter was the best time of my life so far. I have been true to my promise of being a good teacher, so I enjoyed every moment of it. I enjoyed it a lot that I found myself exerted so much love with designing my instructions and creating materials, not to mention the rich yet controlled communication with my students. As I write this reflection paper, I have just planned the last segment of our last lesson on living in space. I sighed but not more of relief. I sighed with a bitter taste in my mouth as I think that I have only limited time together with the elements of this student teaching program. As I type my way to developing this paper, I press hard on my keys as my feelings get heavy as well. How can I ever depart ways to the people and things that I learned to love over the past 5 months? Has it been already 5 months? Isn’t the time run too fast? Too fast that I did not anticipate a major farewell.

               Nevertheless, looking back at those five months, I know I am a different person now. Having the personality they say suited for a teacher, I have lost confidence in the middle of all the struggles. At the very beginning, I was brought down on my knees by all the constraints and problems that tend to distract me. These things do not favor the kind of attitude that I must have as a teacher at first which eventually caused some minor problems. There were moments when I doubted myself by standing at where I am at the instance. Fortunately, the five months of grueling teaching experience taught me a lot of things. As much that I learned so much theoretical background, this experience told me of the things that are lacking in me. Learning in the hard it is for me. Luckily, I am the kind of person who easily pins down errors, act on them and remember what to do henceforth. But unfortunately, the process imposes damages.

                The greatest doubt came from my major field of specialization. Having a subject simultaneous with the student teaching program has proven to be a worse case that one may have. There were those moments that I was pressed too hard that I just bowed my head. Truly, a student teacher has all advantage when focused only with the teacher tasks. I tried to balance them out but that is almost impossible. With both courses heavily demanding, I chose the student teaching program and do mediocrely in applied physics? Do I regret taking physics as major field? No, definitely not, but I honestly lament the corresponding hardship that it contributed. But as the cliché goes, all hardships when overcame are part of one’s life achievement. Looking back at those painful months, I am close to tears at this moment not because of all agonies and discomforts, but of the fact that I am still here. There are more tasks to fulfill at the moment yet I must stand still. Besides I became a better version of me.

               In this rich experience, there are two things that are most rewarding to me. First, I garnered a basket full of theoretical knowledge and practical skills from the entire experience and my mentors. Second, I knew and improved myself more, on top of getting firm on my goals as a teacher. This second rewarding experience was also the most surprising, because all along I knew I was always capable of teaching yet I experienced falling short at some aspect. I however do not forget all the micro-learning I had so far. In relation to that, I hope my firmness on imposing excellence on my students will be left among them as they go higher in their lives. I just know I changed some of them to go even higher. As a novice teacher, I always smile when I think of how they leaped on the concepts that I taught them. I always tell them that one must know a lot of things, yet very good at one thing. Of all outputs I made them do, I always remind them that when one does something, he must do it at his best or none at all.

               As I expect to leave this fruitful experience and embrace the real one, I was even adamant that I am a teacher for a purpose. I am a teacher of the nation, and for the nation! This one says a lot, way from being a great teacher up to upholding the true essence of the profession as regards uniting the nation as one troop of excellent constituents. I will always carry the variety of instructional designs and implement goodness, and will never get tired of them, as I went my way up the public school system of my beloved country.