Theories were an almost regular menu for us, education students and metaphorically speaking, we love to eat these theories because eating is pleasure and what we do with pleasure, we learn from it. But sometimes theories donât digest properly. We can only know if we are absorbing it right if we can put this theory-based skill into practice, and one of which is through practice teaching.
When I heard that itâs time for us to start our training as student teachers, most of my classmatesâ initial reaction were a mix of excitement and nervousness. Surprisingly, it was not a feeling that deluged me to react but rather a question in my head - âAm I Ready?â. I asked myself this question many a times and I realized that I was not ready at all because practice teaching isnât the thing you do once youâre ready. Itâs the thing you do that makes you ready.
My first on-the-job teaching assignment was in MSEUF Basic Education Department. I was given the opportunity to be mentored by the science committee head, Mr. Victor Rea Oribe. I sure learned a lot from him from building my personality, establishing authority, managing classroom set-up, handling misbehavior, making test papers, and being dynamic in my strategies.
He entrusted me three of his sections. I was glad to handle Grade IX students â Platinum, Gold and Silver. I was instructed to teach two subjects which were Science and Araling Panlipunan. At first, it was a challenge for me to teach Araling Panlipunan especially the focus of the subject was Economics. I have to exert extra effort to learn the lesson because everything to me was gray area and perplexing. It was like learning a foreign language and I guess that is what being flexible is for.
In a different note, my every day contact with my students was not always a merry-go-round, sometimes it was a roller coaster. I can really say that gaining the attention of your students was a challenging task to do. With that, you have to be consistent in making your activities fun and engaging. You also have to be creative. Either way, everything that you do would be like herding cats, your students not paying attention and following you. Learning the situation, I have to do these things to become effective.
When I finished my practice teaching in MSEUF-BED, I was assigned to Lucena Dalahican National High School. Now, I have to batten down my hatches for the real thing because public school is different from that of private. From the school climate, to the culture, to the system, to the facilities and to the students, you can spot on spectra of differences.
The science department head, Maâam Aires Jimenez assigned me to Sir Richard Ingente. When I entered his class, I was a bit shocked because the students were very noisy and unruly. Then on the next section, the students were also like that. It felt like surviving storm after storm. After that experience, I told to myself that I have to find the eye in those sections.
I held three sections in Grade VII â Ilang-Ilang, Waling-Waling and Rosal. On the very first day, I gave my house rules. I was glad that they were cooperating with me. They were doing what I told them to do but every now and then, I still keep my eyes peeled for those students who will attempt to misbehave. It really tested my classroom management skills and how I would build a good relation with them. In their âchaosâ, it breeds an opportunity. It offers me something to be good about.
As time goes by, I became used to the ways in LDNHS. My cooperating teacher and Maâam Aires helped me a ton. They taught me how to make lesson plans, and to improve my instructional materials. They also told me that we donât tell students, we donât teach them the lesson, we involve them. But most importantly, what I learned from them is discipline. The class starts at 6 am (the sad truth about public schools) and I have to wake up earlier than 4 because it was far away from our house.
To top it off, my whole practice teaching experience was like boarding on a ship. A ship that either sail or sink. It was not of perfection but it was striving for competence. It was constantly searching for the lighthouse and sharing this light with your students.
