Anything that you were unable to predict? The daily experiences with the students. Being with elementary students, you're going to get so many things coming your way. Different stories are being told to you and shared that you weren't expecting. But, students also have different questions that you just aren't prepared for. You can prepare for as many questions and different scenarios as possible, but you're not going to be able to plan for everything. So you’ve got to think on your feet. When it comes to things I couldn't predict, there were times when I didn't have full answers for students and had to be transparent with them and let them know, hey, I don't have the answer and you may not have the answer, but we can work together to find it. Did you have any big wins during the fellowship? Honestly, my biggest win is a personal win. It was being able to transition to PE teacher from my original role of teaching associate so early in my career. When it comes to big wins with the students, hearing them break down the material, learning and grasping the information that I was giving them, and seeing them apply it to themselves was satisfying. Witnessing them be able to attain and retain all that information, it was an amazing thing to see. And there are not too many things better than teaching students, them understanding everything you're teaching them, and then applying it in different aspects. What was your favorite thing to teach as TA? My favorite thing to teach was math. I enjoyed math just because of the different ways students approached problems. I would give students complex word problems, and the approach and how they understood the the problems weren't always the ways that I thought of it. Many times students came with different perspectives and I was taken aback because of their thinking. Every approach was accepted and it was welcomed. It was amazing.
Do you have any advice for future fellows? Take advantage of the people around you and the environment that you're in. I have been blessed to be at an amazing school like Bertschi. It's amazing because it's filled with the students and the people who are in it. The staff, the administrators, everybody has been supportive. They have given me all the resources and information I need to succeed in my first year of teaching. I can't be thankful enough for everybody who has meetings with me, checks in with me, and shares any advice or tips for early educators with me. I'm grateful for the position I'm in, the people I'm around, and the students I get to see every day. Take advantage of the moment and opportunity. Just because you have an opportunity doesn't mean you take full advantage of it. So ask questions, talk to everybody, and do your best to understand all the students and the staff because you never know who you could meet. You don't know how well or how big of an impact they could have on you. So be open, be an open book, and be a sponge. Tell us more about the transition from TA to specialist. The difference is just the amount of responsibilities you have. Being a TA, you have a lead teacher, someone that you can defer to. The majority of the time, they're doing a large part of the lesson. However, there were times when I was able to sub in for the teachers, which was great. But as for the responsibilities and lesson planning–and making sure everybody is, you know, learning the material, but also paying attention–that's a larger responsibility that I have to take on now as the PE teacher. I don't have a TA to help me out. Being the main person who's giving the instructions, presenting the material–it's something that I had to get used to, but I'm perfectly fine doing it now.
That’s my advice for you!
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