My first year in university as an education student is coming to a close. While the past couple weeks have been nothing like I would expect (i.e. major car accident, COVID-19), it was still another great term filled with learning. In some ways I’ve felt like I’m becoming a teacher but it has felt like I’m being prepared to get to the point of becoming a teacher. I’ve taken three education classes this year and in the first two years there’s only four. I think these classes have helped me to feel more prepared for what I will be studying and to help build the foundations of my professionalism and philosophies.
I have enjoyed my education classes but the fact that two of them have been in the evening have given me some anxiety about walking home at night, but it went okay. I had never really been to Saskatoon before I moved for university so it was a bit scary. I think that the classes I’ve had at the College of Education have aided me greatly in accommodating to the new school community that I am a part of. Building those connections seems like a really important step because it helps to bring you some confidence in where you are and to build relationships with others. I know that I’ve made a surprising amount of friends this year at university, and a lot of them have been other education students. Everyone has to take similar classes so there’s usually a face or two that you can recognize in any class you’re in.
Teaching is definitely something that I still want to do. At some points it feels very overwhelming to be responsible for multiple students and classes, but not so tough when you’re a secondary teacher. I’ve always loved to teach people about history and French has been a helpful tool to have so I am excited to see what my teaching career would be like. Ultimately I would love to teach Canadian and world history in French, even though I might end up teaching other classes I might not be too fond of. Ah math. Just accepting that everything might not be how I imagine it to be has been a step in itself. While I am learning in to teach in the classroom right now, it will be completely different than actually teaching a class.
Personally, I don’t think I’ve changed my mind too much about anything. For a period, I was struggling to enjoy the French classes I was taking, which pushed me to consider changing my minor. Ultimately, I decided against that. Having a major or minor in French is very beneficial, it’s just been the type of French classes that I haven’t liked. I just have to pick better fitting classes for next fall. I’ve been planning out the next three years of university and I’ve been really excited for what each year will hold and what I will learn. Similar to the Intro to Education class, this year has felt like an introduction to university and the College of Education. Altogether it’s been a great learning experience, which I’m excited to keep building on.
Emma's Teaching Corner 