Practice Teaching Experience

SUMMARY OF EXPERIENCES ON THE MONTH OF JULY AND AUGUST

          Finally the first day of our practice teaching! I’m a bit thrilled and uneasy, questions like who would be my cooperating teacher and my students on that day. Let me give a brief narration of our first day on Cajidiocan National High School or “CNHS” my alma mater.

          It was July 21, 2014. I woke up early that morning for a first impression is lasting. I’m glad that the four of us, my fellow practice teachers, we’re early that morning.

          After the flag ceremony, we went to the Principals Office and we waited patiently for the head teacher to come out.

          Then several moments later, Ma’am Recto together with Ma’am Fadri were there to assist us. They asked us about Lesson Plan first, according to them Lesson Planning is the best weapon we have and so we must do it properly everyday because there might be time that they will visit us at time unexpectedly, we just nodded our head, my back is already dripping with sweat that time. Then, they asked us about what are the parts of Lesson Plan; with a bit of heaviness in our voice we told them the answer. They also give us a short review of what to do during school days, and that we should behave like as teachers already.

          Finally, the assigning for the cooperating teacher, one by one they called out our names then the name our Cooperating Teacher however when it comes to me, I watched in a slow motion the lips of Ma’am Recto and with a bit of  a loud beat of my Heart! My Cooperating Teacher is none other Ma’am Merida. But now she is known as Ma’am Eufemia Merida Mendezabal, awesome right? I know deep in my thoughts that she would be the one. Let’s fast forward shall we? There are many happenings that I am so eager to tell, many phenomenons that provides me great experience that I will treasure for the rest of my life.

          July or the first month of our practice teaching, of course beginning is the hardest part of the experience since you are new, you are like a blank plate and it is your cooperating teacher who would give you backgrounds of what to do. During My first day she already gave me a task and that is to make a sample detailed lesson plan from the book of fourth year. She picked the topic, of course I am never new to lesson plan and so with anticipation I started my first Detailed Lesson Plan. First lesson plan, know what I’ve got? Whew, I have so many errors when my cooperating checked it. I felt terrible for it and draw conclusions at the back of my mind that next time, I wouldn’t get too quick for making lesson plan.

          As the time passed by, I am becoming more and more equipped to this environment; I woke up early, do my job supervising the students to their assigned tasks in cleaning the room and their respective areas. Then my cooperating teacher assigned me to the lower section first, such as Bacon, Homer, and Chaucer. If I become better in teaching the lower section she will let me handle the higher sections which are the SSC, Shakespeare and Montaigne. Teaching the higher sections are truly challenging, as I can still remember, they will challenged your capacity and capabilities, they test your knowledge and your limits.

ENGLISH TRIVIA!

During my teaching in SSC which is the highest section in all of fourth year, they asked me what is longest word in Dictionary, I gave them what they wanted, and I wrote it on the board and it is “PNEUMOULTRAMICROSCOPICSILICOVOLCANOCONIOSIS” and it is somewhat of a lung disease. I have a feeling that I wowed them. Although it is easy as pie for me because that longest word is somewhat a cluster of different words like for example, you can see the word, “ultra” “microscopic” and “volcano”. Then there comes Shakespeare, (I am Shakespeare when I was in 4^th year), another challenge for me, because they are in the first period. During my first teaching to them, I am bit nervous, I felt my heart beating fast and my lungs bursting with air, then I heaved a big sigh and said to myself “I can do this!” At first, I haven’t memorized my lines since i don't know what to do so i followed my lesson plan, thank God, I did it, although I’m shaking. During my first post conference with my teacher she gave me the comments and I was very thankful because there are many things that I must do to improve my teaching skills. She rated me on Homer, and you know what? I’ve got 92%! Not bad for a first timer.

“He who dares to teach must never cease to learn.”

I am indeed agreed to this saying, first I’ve learned that teachers must never stop learning, because students nowadays are more on technology, they like gadgets, internets, computers  that sorts of stuff. And that is what I’ve encountered through the different sections, they read in an eBook (in our time it was pocketbooks), I know what eBook is, for I have tried reading in that also. Lucky for me i know all about technology in this generation which is why when they have this game called “4 pix one word” (by the way  this popular game,  these is how it’s played, there is a 4 picture displayed then you have to guess the answer, take note the picture is very tricky and sometimes when you don’t know the answer you might get stuck forever(shush!). One time my student can’t figure it out, they’d come to me for help and me being advance with that game, managed to answer it. This is what I’ve did when sometimes I don’t know the answer, I browse the internet for the answer. And when sometimes I get annoyed too, I download an app called “4 pix one word answer” I said to myself why I haven’t done that earlier before, and also why is it my student didn’t know that there’s an app that has answer to it. Anyway because of this, I became closer to my students. It is a really a good thing when you speak to the language of the student.

Moreover, many of my students became my “friends” on Facebook. Sometimes, when I was walking down on the hallway, they would say, “Hi Ma’am! We’re friends now on Facebook!”.

SUMMARY OF EXPERIENCES ON THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER

        September, this is the time wherein me and my cooperating teacher really worked hard for my lesson plan, I can still remember when we are the last person on the school to get out to polish my lesson plan, it’s almost dark, 6 in the afternoon most likely.

          Also, she gave a week which is the job is only to finish the lesson plan; she didn’t give me any teaching loads only at times when she was busy. I am thankful because I’m a fast learner and readily did it. Also I don’t have time to bond with my students.

          I still remember also those holidays that happened in this month, also they have so many affairs which we really did help, like for example cleaning the social hall for the nights event. We are really glad that we’ve experience those times; it was really great having a small part in that event.

Then came in October the most waited moment in our life as practice teachers, with a mixed feeling filled with anxiety, nervousness and excitement because this is what we are waiting for, to surpass this first milestone in our life and that is to be a teacher. Let me narrate to you my experiences that I had before demonstration, actually this experience of mine that I’m going to tell you are full of complications however everything went fine during my final demonstration I am still blessed for everything. Thank you God =)

A week before this event, let say Friday, I am still preparing my Lesson Plan but this Lesson Plan making started on September. And yet there are a lot of changes to be made and errors to be fixed, however I am still patient although my mind sometimes wander that I hope everything would be fine. I am also thankful for my sister for she would arrive on Sunday, which I know would help me for the preparation of my visual. On this day also, my cooperating teacher would not be around during my Final Demonstration because she and her husband is going to Romblon for a checkup. So I told to myself that I know I can still do this event though my cooperating teacher would not be around.

Friday Night, I started printing my designs for the cut outs which I will do on Saturday (Promise in this part, my mind is already twirling of what to start first) and printed it. Although I wanted to make my visuals as simple as possible but at the back of my mind I still wanted to take the risk by spending a lot of money for the visuals, first I picked cartolina because it looks clean, then my idea is to make it like an oceanic thingy as my theme. I am so happy for the idea that goes in my head and I’m very glad because it’s like a wind just going through my mind.

Here comes Saturday, first this is the day wherein my family is preparing for their things because every one of them will go to Odiongan. Then I badly needed help in cutting the clip arts that I wanted however they are all busy, so what I did is go to second floor, alone and trying to figure things out, I am a little bit lonely because I needed help yet there’s no one I can go to because they are all busy. So I made up my mind that once and for all, I must take the responsibility to do this.

          Sunday, I’m so delighted because my sister took part in helping me with the designs for my visuals, she made a lot of comments and give suggestions which really are fascinating (two heads are better than one) and while we are cutting those clip arts, we converse about my upcoming demonstration, she really did lit my spirits up.

          On Monday, I’m also grateful because we have no class that means more cut, cut and think, think. Well this day we continued making visuals and on Monday night, we practiced on the vacant room in “RSU” she recorded my timing and how to discuss my presentation. She made a lot of remarks, I liked it yet I felt restless because of it, like for example, the video presentation cannot be heard easily, and I’ve got no time left for that kind of adjustments nevertheless we still continued because my time is running out.

          On Tuesday, My cooperating teacher, told me that she won’t be around during my Final Demonstration teaching because she and her husband will take a 5 days leave, ( I don’t know but sometimes I kind of like it because there would be no bigger pressure for me) and so I nodded with her.

          Wednesday, the time where I felt a lot of Adrenaline rush in my veins, lack of sleep didn’t bother me at all, I felt so high, like I don’t feel any tiredness in my body, I don’t feel hungry yet a little bit nervous at the same time, that kind of feeling. This is the first time that I felt something that I just can’t explain it. I’m so thankful that my sister is there to lift my spirit up when I feel down, when I get restless, so for me, she was a good coach actually, I couldn’t do something amazing without her, because in this time of bewilderment, I couldn’t think straight, I couldn’t relax, and my mind goes blank, that kind of thing.

 This day, I phoned Ma’am Phem and asked permission, if we can practice in her room in CNHS tonight; she said if the guard would let us in she would permit us. I go to see the guard and he gave us permission. I’m truly thankful because of it. We started practicing, with my sister as the audience and it was 7 pm, then, a minute later I noticed that in my visuals I’ve made a mistake, wait a minute this is not happening! Yet we are thankful because we noticed it as early as possible, it’s really good that we’ve used it for our final practice, we thought that we can still manage to correct tomorrow, also a minute later, I can’t talk! My throat hurts!  I couldn’t speak; like my mouth is glued and when I talk it really hurt badly, also I felt sleepy then. And so with using my sign language that I did that my throat hurts, my sister took my place and she was the one who discussed my lesson, she showed me the proper thing to do during the presentation and I was the audience, that hour I was really quiet, I can’t believe this is happening to me, tomorrow is the demonstration teaching and this “sick throat” came in, whoa be my guest “sick throat”. She really did, discussed the whole part, and while I was quiet in a corner feeling discontented, she tried to cheer me up, she showed me this lively energy of her, I don’t know but that kind of energy really did help to lessen my burden. With my unfinished discussion we pack our things, I was in deep and gloomy thought, “Can I really do this?” that kind of question came in. It was 9 p.m. when we came home, I’m still quiet.

We go to our bed and sleep, then something’s happening, this mind of mine don’t feel sleepy at all, yet my body were so tired. Then I don’t what’s happening but my mind is practicing! Can you believe that, my actual mind is having a discussion, like a real demonstration teaching that is happening ,it’s very vivid, all the nervousness were present, the feeling of being watched by the panelist can be felt. Guess what? It was 11 p.m something when I finished my Mental Demonstration teaching, I’m really glad that I’ve finished practicing in my mind, now I felt ready.

0CTOBER 9, 2014 (FINAL DEMONSTRATION TEACHING)

We woke up early, I’m glad that even though it’s late when I slept last night yet I don’t feel sleepy at all. Then something’s not right! Oh no it’s BROWNOUT! This is the worst nightmare ever and I haven’t finished printing my lesson plan. Whoa, real nice! I prayed to God that this day would turn out good; also I prayed that this brownout would be over soon. I tried to calm myself, act like everything is fine.

          One hour later, the power came back! Thank you lord, I finished printing lesson plan, then prepared all the materials and went to school, it’s 7 a.m in the morning, I talked to my students that they need chalks and eraser. Then I told them also that the start of our Demo is 9 a.m.

          When everything were ready, my things wer there, I go to Science building and prepared my materials because the first demo teacher is already finished, and on the time of critiquring, I prepared everything, called out my students.

          On the starts of my Demo, my mind is really blank, I tried to be calm, it’s only for an hour, I told myself, “I can do it!” Thank God everything went fine, until the last hour of my demo, and I’m really glad I passed it.

          On the time of critiquing, they told me that I need to improve because I’m still shy, and also they appreciated my colorful visuals aids. And I really did make a Good Job.

          I’ve got a grade of 94.08.

Thank God, It’s finally over, I can finally sleep.