Week 2

Posted January 30, 2020 by Peggy Hogan-Rao

Last week, I started student teaching at an elementary school in Waltham. I have never worked an 8-5 job before, so the first week was quite a shock. Getting used to the routine of being at school at a certain time and working with different grade levels is a lot to adjust to in the first week. In the first couple weeks, I mostly shadowed the librarian to get to know the students and other teachers in the school. By watching the librarian, I learn about what books the kids like to check out and how to engage the students in a read aloud.

The hard part about committing so much time to practicum (student teaching) is balancing the one other class. SLT students at Simmons only take one other class with practicum, and it is usually an elective. This semester, my one other class is the required LIS 460: Technology and the School Library Teacher.

I was so tired on Friday night after my first week that I didn’t get to any studying that night. It ended up being a Netflix and cozy blanket night for me! Friday afternoon read aloud with a third-grade class was extra difficult due to my stuffed up nose. I tried to take all day Saturday to rest, but that meant getting more behind in my technology class. By the time I started my work due Tuesday night on Sunday, it felt like a lot of reading. Let’s just say, I was overwhelmed.

This semester, my goal is to learn time management and self-care. One thing that is becoming very clear to me is that student teaching will not be easy. It can be very stressful for many students in the program, even those who do not struggle with extreme anxiety. Grad school and student teaching aren’t easy. But those small moments in the day when a student is listening to you get excited about research or a student is looking to you for help finding a book makes this journey to a teaching license worth it.