This year was the start of my first year in the CECH Cohort program for teachers. I was nervous to start school up because I knew that meant I was starting to get into the real beef of what it means to be a middle school educator. I realized that I would actually get to be in a real classroom….with real students who need real assistance and a have real, experienced teacher. “Apprehensive” is probably the best word to describe my feeling of starting this final two year stretch of my undergrad degree.
All my classes were much smaller than they had been my first two years, and I actually saw familiar faces in every class. After a few weeks, I realized that this group of people I was learning with, my Cohort community, would finish off the rest of these two years with me. I also quickly realized that most of my professors would grow with our unique Cohort group, since majority of us practically had identical schedules. We would walk from one class to the next, and talk about each professor and discuss assignments. During that semester, I learned that education students are probably the most critical of their professors, since these professors are teachers teaching teachers, after all.
Gathering from all those experiences, I’d say my biggest take away from my fall semester in 2015 is the importance of having and belonging to a community. In my case, a school community. Having this tight knit group of people I saw every day, people who were all experiencing and enduring the same things as I was, really helped me. I felt as though I was part of a pack, and no man would be left behind. For example, I am usually pretty good about keeping up and organized on my planner, but there is no better feeling than to know that you have 12 people you could text immediately if a problem, assignment, or due date was unclear. I don’t think I could have gotten through that first semester without the help and encouragement of my UC colleagues. Now, I try to carry on that positive endorsement into other communities, non-school related, that I participate in.
At the conclusion of that semester (winter break), I went on my 15 day Kansas City excursion, and came home ready for my second semester to start after the New Year. By this point in the school year, my apprehensive attitude turned more positive, though I was still really nervous for this second semester. I mean, my first day of school was not even at UC! Instead, I spent my first day back to school at Cheviot Elementary as a student teacher in a 4th grade math class. I had a rough idea of what to expect, and was relieved when I saw 10 other students from my classes were at the same school. As it happens, I was with another student who in the classroom! At least I had a buddy to share the experience with.
This second semester was also sort of a blur, but mainly because it was so similar to my first! I had the same professors, same classmates, and classes were held in the same classrooms. The main difference was actually being out in the field, getting real experience. My supervisor at this placement was really great, and I feel like we have a special connection now. He helped guide and critique my teaching practices after the three lessons I taught the class, and was always available for questions or a meeting. During this semester is when I received an e-mail about the University Honors Program (UHP), and how I would be a good candidate for consideration. I actually applied to the program on a whim, not really expecting anything to be fruitful from it. But, a few weeks later, I received another e-mail congratulating me on my acceptance into UHP! That was a wonderful feeling, and not one I will soon forget. This program has provided amazing opportunities for me—be it potential scholarships, workshops, study abroad programs, or simply having another mentor.
Not even a few weeks after signing up for the honors class for a grand total of 18 credit hours in my semester, I traveled to Cleveland and embarked on my Ohio Rose of Tralee journey. This experience has truly altered my life path, and it has been an incredible one to explore. I am learning about my Irish heritage, the Irish culture, and will get to meet nearly 70 other women my age from around the globe! The Rose of Tralee International Festival has been truly incredible, and I cannot wait to travel to Ireland for 20 days this August and attend the Festival.
When in Ireland, I’m sure that my ability to socialize, speak publicly, and stay open minded will be challenged and pushed to their limits. This will be a phenomenal growing opportunity, and I hope to use these skills in the classroom when I return to student teach just three days after returning home from Ireland. I also hope to use my creativity skills learned from Quixotic in the classroom, as I my main teaching philosophy practices learning concepts in both the body and the brain. I hope that teaching this way will help students retain the most information. One piece of advice from my current self to my future self after this crazy summer: to stay calm, breathe more, and take life one step at a time. Know that some things are out of your control at the moment, and everything will get done one way or another. Don’t stress about creating a curriculum while at the grocery store, because you can’t do anything about it while shopping. Instead, take a moment to inhale deeply, relax, and tell yourself when you will have time to do it, and that it will get done in time. I think this will be a good piece of advice going into my super senior year, and that it will be easier to fulfill since my schedule will not be as jam packed with classes and school work.