I have always known that I wanted to be a teacher because I wanted a career that would give me the opportunity to help others out, as well as working with the youth was something that I always enjoyed. Prior to joining the single-subject credential program at Sonoma State University, I had very little experience teaching in front of a classroom. The little teaching experience I did have came from working as a swim coach and from the time I spent working for California Mini-Corps, where I tutored students with migrant backgrounds at the elementary level. Ever since joining the single-subject credential program at Sonoma State, my life and way of thought has changed completely. I was placed at Vintage High School in Napa, California; the jump from tutoring elementary students in subjects like math and english to being specifically focuses on spanish was huge. However, the transition to elementary to high school was smoother than what I could have imagined and that is because of my mentor teacher, Mrs. Hernandez. From day one I really felt supported by her and she was always giving me great advice and methods that I could apply to my own teaching. Without Mrs. Hernandez's support, the credential program would have been a lot more difficult than what it ended up being.
Working with the students at Vintage was definitely a pleasure and working with this group of young individuals was a fantastic experience. I learned so much about them and I believe that they enjoyed my presence in the classroom because the students could relate to me on a personal level due to the fact that we shared a similar cultural background, interests, and because I always tried to support them in whatever way possible. I would take things that I knew about my students interests and background and I would find ways to incorporate it into the curriculum as a way to have the students engaged and having fun while learning. While student teaching, I was helped out a lot by incorporating a lot of teaching strategies I picked up from the credential program and others that my mentor teacher would recommend me. For instance, the jigsaw was one of my favorite strategies that I would rely on because it allowed the students to teach their peers and the students enjoyed this strategy because it allowed them to work in groups. I also picked up a strategy from my mentor teacher where I began to write a daily journal entry question and the students would respond to, and I really enjoyed this because the students were able to incorporate themes they learned about into their daily lives.
Overall, my experience as a student teacher was a positive one. I was able to build great relationships with my students and my mentor teacher. There were times when I felt overwhelmed due to my personal problems outside of school, but as soon as I stepped foot on campus, those problems always disappeared. It was these relationships I build with these students that always seemed to lighten up my day. Teaching is not only about the material or the content, but the relationships you build with your students and fellow teachers, and for this reason I can say that I am excited to begin my career as an educator.
Working with the students at Vintage was definitely a pleasure and working with this group of young individuals was a fantastic experience. I learned so much about them and I believe that they enjoyed my presence in the classroom because the students could relate to me on a personal level due to the fact that we shared a similar cultural background, interests, and because I always tried to support them in whatever way possible. I would take things that I knew about my students interests and background and I would find ways to incorporate it into the curriculum as a way to have the students engaged and having fun while learning. While student teaching, I was helped out a lot by incorporating a lot of teaching strategies I picked up from the credential program and others that my mentor teacher would recommend me. For instance, the jigsaw was one of my favorite strategies that I would rely on because it allowed the students to teach their peers and the students enjoyed this strategy because it allowed them to work in groups. I also picked up a strategy from my mentor teacher where I began to write a daily journal entry question and the students would respond to, and I really enjoyed this because the students were able to incorporate themes they learned about into their daily lives.
Overall, my experience as a student teacher was a positive one. I was able to build great relationships with my students and my mentor teacher. There were times when I felt overwhelmed due to my personal problems outside of school, but as soon as I stepped foot on campus, those problems always disappeared. It was these relationships I build with these students that always seemed to lighten up my day. Teaching is not only about the material or the content, but the relationships you build with your students and fellow teachers, and for this reason I can say that I am excited to begin my career as an educator.
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