Day in the Life of a Teacher Reflection

How did you cope/manage completing the three days of “Life of a Teacher”?

I had portrayed myself as the type of teacher similar to my mentor teacher and having a sole purpose of ensuring my lessons were engaging and comprehensive to all learners.

Teachers are known as the guiding and the driving force that educates learners through every means whilst also ensuring learners basic rights are catered for in the educational system. Prior to teaching lessons and taking over the teacher’s day, I had sat down and explained to the teacher what is required of me. I had also asked the teacher what was required of me when teaching her lessons, and I had showed the teacher my lesson plans beforehand so as to get guidance and advise on what needed to be adjusted if necessary. This made me flexible in the way I taught and gave me more confidence in the content I taught. I had printed out the teachers timetable and chose a day from the timetable as well as planned lessons not only for the assigned Grade 7 learners. I had also taught grade 4’s and Grade 5’s which I learnt were a handful and was a challenge to think outside the box to keep them engaged in the lesson. The teachers timetable and guidance had given me the privilege of managing my schedule and I was able to work effectively and efficiently.

I also had a good support system from my subject teachers and learners who worked with me and supported me in my journey as a teacher in training. I had also practiced exercises and strategies when undergoing stress and when work became too overwhelming. Eventually I got the hang of teacher for the whole day, and I would always find myself looking forward to teaching learners and also learning from them.

How did you feel taking on all the responsibilities of a teacher in Block 1 compared to Block 2?

Carrying all the responsibility in Block 1 was not as overwhelming as Block 2 mainly because during Block 2 the whole school had to practice for their upcoming concert that was taking place in October. In both blocks I felt that I had to constantly run behind the teachers to discuss which day would be suitable to teach without any concert disruptions.

As much as I enjoyed partaking in the concert practice with learners, it had also made learners restless when they were later brought into class. It did not help that the school decided last minute that the last 3 weeks of school was planned for concert practice. In Block 2 the responsibilities were far greater as teachers had marking, reports and paperwork to do. This had given me a taste of the reality of the life of teachers when nearing the end of the term. Surprisingly I had enjoyed marking learners work and doing other paperwork as I had gained experience for my own professional development.

On these three days I had to arrive to school on time and assist the English teacher Mrs M with her paperwork as she was the acting HOD of the school. I had the responsibility of walking learners to the school gates at the end of the day and partaking in extra-mural activities which was netball practice in Block 1 and Concert practice in Block 2. Each Teacher had to discuss their songs and choreograph their playlist with learners, this required me to stay 1 hour after school was dismissed.

I had learnt a lot from these different personalities. Mr Z was easy going and seemed to be more organised which in turn made me relaxed and less anxious when teaching my lessons. Mrs M had given me the rundown of the school and was initially very welcoming. Mrs M had encouraged me to reach my full potential through her feedback of lessons taught. Mr Z encouraged me and related to my challenges as a teacher in training which created a positive environment for me to teach in. I had appreciated being mentored by two dynamic teachers.

The day in the life of a teacher brought a sense of satisfaction of being a part of a bigger system and realistically living the life of a teacher. Teaching is not for the weak. Even though taking on these responsibilities were at times overwhelming it had pushed me to persevere in my teaching practice.

Which activities did you find most challenging? How did you overcome these challenges?

Taking on all the responsibilities of these two teachers who are unique in their own way is undoubtedly a significant challenge. I always felt rushed and that I needed at least 10 minutes in between periods to regroup and refresh. Here are the challenges I faced and what strategies I had used to overcome them.

At first, I had struggled to gain control of the class and I had learnt that all 3 Grade 7 classes were different. I had adapted my lessons according to the learners and their productivity in class. The more lessons and time I spent with learners the more I got to know them and observe their strengths and weaknesses. This helped me develop in posing questions to learners and being more confident in the content I taught.

Analyse your results of your self-evaluation survey, where would you rate yourself higher?

I would rate myself higher with regards to classroom management, how I carry myself and assessing learners as I feel I have developed as compared to my other teaching experiences. I have also developed in pedagogy and knowledge of content as I had thoroughly searched the topics I planned to teach, and I became more open minded to the different strategies to use during teaching . I was also able to assess learners more effectively and I was able to answer questions thrown at me. In all of these aspects I can confidently say I improved from competent to proficient.

Justify how you improved these competencies through this experience.

Part of being a lifelong learner is accepting guidance and positive criticism. I would have not been able to improve in my competencies by myself had I not developed myself with the overall feedback I was given. I had the help of the subject teachers who were understanding and professional in the way they carried themselves. The Classroom Management tool had also aided me in getting to know my learners and my learners understanding what was required of them.

Compare the final comments of the teacher and your initial self-evaluation of your teaching experience.

Initially I felt as if I was not prepared because I was always stressing about whether learners would understand the content I taught and if the way I taught would be effective. When referring to the exit level outcomes, it was satisfying to see that I was marked 5 for demonstrating sound subject knowledge and using reliable methods to assess learning as I had worked timeously to ensure I present my lessons in the best interest of my learners.

I was also marked 4 for identifying and adapting teaching strategies to unique needs of learners and reflecting on my skills to enhance professionalism in the teaching profession, I know that reaching my full potential regards to this will come with experience in teaching. I know that this teaching experience was just a stepping stone to a broader aspect of teaching. And I know that out of all the challenges I will face in future I am grateful that I had the opportunity to develop myself through this program, one thing I am not looking forward to though is the amount of paperwork that I would need to complete as a teacher.