Life of a Teacher

How I Managed the “Life of a Teacher” Experience

Completing the three days of “Life of a Teacher” was both challenging and rewarding. It wasn’t easy managing the classroom and lessons, but keeping organised was my saving grace. I made sure to plan ahead and stay on track with my lesson plans. Having support from colleagues was also a big help – their advice kept me grounded when things got hectic.

Taking on Responsibilities: Block 1 vs. Block 2

In Block 1, everything felt overwhelming. It was my first real experience managing a class, planning lessons, and keeping everything under control. By Block 2, I was more confident and better prepared. During block 1 I did my day in the life a week before exams so no extra murals were running at the time so I had more time to prepare for my lesson during block two extra murals were running and I was helping out with the hockey and would get home late which was an adjustment when it came to lesson prepping but in the end it all worked out. I had a good idea of how to keep the day flowing and manage classroom activities more smoothly, which made the experience much more enjoyable. Some people say teaching is a half-day job and in reality, it is a 24/7 job.

The Most Challenging Activities and How I Overcame Them

One of the hardest parts was figuring out how to engage all learners and handle different learning needs. To overcome this, I introduced more interactive activities, like group work and quizzes like Kahoots! I also adapted tasks to fit the needs of different learners. Feedback from my mentor was really helpful here, and I learned a lot by making small adjustments.

Reflecting on My Readiness as a Beginner Teacher

After reviewing my self-evaluation, I feel pretty ready to step into the classroom as a beginner teacher. I’ve grown, but I still need to work on a few things like time management during lessons, finding better ways to reach all learners and having a sound knowledge of the content. As a teacher I believe there is always space to grow Overall, I’m excited and confident, but I know I’ll continue learning as I go.

Comparing My Mentor’s Feedback to My Initial Self-Evaluation

Looking at my mentor’s final comments compared to how I evaluated myself at the start, I can see just how far I’ve come. In the beginning, I struggled with classroom management and knowing all the content knowledge for specific subjects like Afrikaans but other than Afrikaans I felt confident in my content knowledge and teaching. By the end, my mentor pointed out how much I had improved, especially in keeping learners engaged and organizing lessons. Even though I’ve made progress, I know there’s still more to work on, especially when it comes to supporting diverse learning needs.

Final Thoughts

Overall, this experience has shown me that teaching is a continuous learning journey. I’m proud of the progress I’ve made, and while I feel ready to start my teaching career, I know the learning never stops.