Anticipation

As I delved into this initial chapter of Teaching Hope I definitely had mixed emotions. Right away I started thinking of how I am so nervous and anxious about the first day of my student teaching and eventually actual teaching and as I continued reading my nerves were somewhat assuaged. These teachers felt just as I am feeling about the first day! The speakers were so surprisingly relatable and I did not want to stop reading about their hopes, dreams, and fears and their first day experiences. I loved reading about how some of these teachers were able to relate to their students and really get to know each of them as individuals. Each teacher seemed to make so many differences in his or her students’ lives and I strive to be able to do that someday. I desire the ability to be able to honestly get to know the individuals in my class and figure out who they are as people. Like each of the teachers in this chapter I want to show my students that I care about them and I want them to see my classroom as a safe and fun learning environment.
One thing that seemed to frequent more than one story within this chapter was the teachable moments, something I fear I won’t be quick enough to realize and take advantage of on the spot. I hope that I will be able to ease tensions and replace awkward moments with teachable ones, because so many of these teachers were confident enough in their classrooms to be able to make these moments happen and have the students learn from them, like answering personal questions or non-content-related questions. Honestly, I would love to meet any one of these teachers, but for now I will just strive to be like them.