Dear Me…um….You, er….Self,
Let me tell you right now, as one sitting, typing this, on
her last day of student teaching, before you start on your journey through the
education department, it will be worth it. You will face new challenges in and
out of the classroom every day of this adventure. You will scream; you will
cry; you may even throw things when no one is looking, but when it all comes to
an end it will be worth it. Therefore, I write you/me this letter with both
advice to prepare you for your tasks and assurance that you will experience
some amazing things. I’ll begin with advice. Trust me, the more advice you heed
over the next four years, the better off you will be.
From the bottom of our/my heart, I offer this first crucial
crumb: do not procrastinate!! You are prone to this; you know you are. If I
could change any one thing about the last four years, I would fix this nearly
fatal flaw in myself. This habit of yours will try to kill you during student
teaching. It is hard enough being constantly on point with 5 classes of
freshmen, but it is excruciatingly harder when you have not slept because you
were making lesson plans or struggling through the KPTP.
Aaahhh….KPTP. By now I am sure some Core 2 student has told
you about FERs 1, 2, & 3. They will try your patience and your skill, but
they do actually prepare you for the epic battle to come, the Deathstar of your
educational quest: the dreaded, diabolical KPTP. Yes it is as hard as everyone
says, mainly because it is tedious and overwhelming to approach and stick with.
You will despise it. You will dream fitfully about it. Then, if you take this
crumb of wisdom, you will do it in small chunks following the very balanced
timeline so graciously offered by your professor. Practice this technique on
you FERs, so your time management skills are as deadly as a well-constructed
lightsaber.
One other observation, work on your people skills in the
professional setting of your placement. Reflect on your actions and responses to
both students and other faculty at your placement. When you wonder whether you
acted in the best possible manner, DO ask your supervisor for their insight.
This may be the hardest skill that cannot be taught and must be experienced….trust
me on this.
Next piece of advice. Make friends with your classmates,
especially as you enter Core 3. These people will be with you through the
hardest of the hard times. They are a ready-made support group; they understand
(better than anyone else in your life will) the trials, tribulations,
frustrations and elations you will face. Forge lines of communication early,
and do not be shy in offering your friendship and support to these eventual “family
members.”
I could give you advice all day long, but these are the most
important morsels to get you started. The growing you will experience as you
forge your own path and make your own mistakes may be the most necessary part
of your quest. I must leave you some room to do your own growing, as I did. Speaking
of experiences, I can, however, temper this daunting picture I’ve painted with
some rays of hope. Revisiting this family I have encouraged you to make, they
will be at the center—the very heart—of the most memorable, sanity-saving parts
of your final year. I cannot express how joyful and lucky I feel to have these
people in my life. We literally have laughed and cried (or raged) together.
They are directly responsible for part of the teacher/person I have become.
This will be awesome, epic, and fulfilling even in the darkest parts of your
adventure.
Other things you can look forward to: the first faculty
member (not your CT) who learns your name, joining KATE and going to a KATE
conference (do this!!!), students getting mad at you but improving, students
not getting mad at you and improving, students smiling at you in the hallway,
students actually waving at you in the hallway, a student pronouncing you last
name correctly, your CT telling you how much you have grown, the feeling of
trust when the class is finally all yours for the teaching, and last but not
least…..the feeling of clicking submit on the last assignment of your
undergraduate career. I imagine that last one feels pretty amazing, but I can’t
be sure yet because I have one more thing to say to you:
I have done this….you can do this! You are going to be an
excellent teacher, I know it. I wish I had a Tardis to do some wibbly-wobbly,
timey-wimey magic so I could spy on your/our progress, but—in the words of
George Michael—I just gotta have faith. Don’t let us down. Rock the Casbah. Own
your awesomeness. Love your friends. And have fun.
Deuces…I’m out!
Sincerely,
Ms. Iseminger (yeah,
it is pretty cool to have the whole “Ms.” thing before your name).
Ms. Iseminger,
ReplyDeleteI am glad you listed some of the joys of student teaching! We all have flaws, and some of them can seem fatal, but it is those joys...student successes, smiles and waves in the hallway...that help us get through it in spite of our flaws. Nice post!
One thing I would like to tell my younger self, which I didn't put in my letter...I wish I would have introduced myself to you earlier! We had so many literature classes together before ever having an education class. I always admired your knowledge of literature and your mad discussion skills, but never told you! I am glad that we are friends now, but I wish we would have had more time! Thanks for being such a great friend to me this last year!
Sarah McQuery
Ms. Iseminger,
ReplyDeleteAs I was reading your letter, I could relate to so many of the things that you mentioned. From being friends, I know in this journey, you've had your tough spots but you always amaze me by your commentary in class and your dedication. You are truly a wonderful person. I can relate to the procrastination. I've gotten better, but it still occurs from time to time. I'm hoping to eliminate it completely, by planning next year's lessons and ideas for next school year ahead of time. Join me? :) I think that you are going to excel in graduate school. I wish you the very best.
You've always had an open heart and mind and you are one of the people I have truly bonded with during this experience. I hope we can keep in touch and keep each other updated.
I know it's been a long journey, but we've made it! Through licensure exams, KPTP, lesson planning, and late nights, it's all going to pay off. Thank you for playing a role in my success for being you.
Much Love Krystal,
Isabela Nickel
Such amazing advice! I will definitely be sharing this with next year's class, Ms. Iseminger. Of course, you did an amazing job sharing at the workshop last night! I hope you'll consider presenting at the KATE Conference this year ... you'll be teaching all kinds of cool stuff as a TA in first-year comp. Bring that awesomeness to the conference and spread the love!
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