One of the biggest things I learned throughout the BEd program and my practicum was how to be flexible and able to adapt to new situations. When I first entered the program, the idea of coming up with things on the spot was quite daunting. During my first year, I taught lessons that followed very closely to the lessons I had planned. My plans were very thorough and contained the specific wording and questions that I would ask throughout the lessons. In my final practicum, I found myself becoming more confident in my teaching skills and I was also able to adapt to unexpected questions that came up. For example, I was teaching a lesson in a kindergarten class about who they want to be when they grow up. The book I read showcased many different professions including being an astronaut. The students began to ask many questions about outer space which lead to a short informational discussion about gravity. Although we got off topic for a short amount of time, it was beneficial to the students’ learning and their own curiosities. I also learned about how to be flexible with the day-to-day schedule. We often found ourselves changing our schedules due to postponement of prep blocks. This is also why it is good to have future lessons prepped and ready to go. There was one day where our P.E. prep was postponed, but I didn’t want to replace it with another math lesson. I decided to combine what we had been learning in math into a fun and engaging P.E. game that required little prep. I feel like this on the spot lesson was very successful and showed my growth throughout the practicum. In my future teaching career, I believe that being flexible will be a major factor, especially as a TTOC. Most of the time, TTOCs don’t know what the plan is until they arrive at the school, and sometimes the TTOC may need to plan the day on their own. This is why flexibility and adaptability are key elements in being a teacher. Although I have grown a lot in these two areas over the years, I acknowledge that I still have a long way to go.
