I was sitting in the McKay building taking my foundations of education final at 7 pm, way too late to be taking a final if you ask me. Especially if you had just sat through 30 final presentations for a different class right before it. I was watching my teacher interact with the other students in my class as they turned in their test. He shook each one of their hands and had a big smile on his face. He knew all our names and seemed so interested in our future and what we would become. He made sure that all of us would stop by his office next semester to chat and always say hello when we pass in the hallway. One of my other professors was the same way. She told us what great teachers we were going to be and how much she enjoyed the discussions we had in class and the opportunity to get to know us better.
And that's what made me think about what an amazing opportunity I have to be in this program. Being taught by teachers, how to be a teacher. That is unique in and of itself because other students are taught by professors about a certain subject or how to do a certain trade, but not how to teach.
I spent so much time this semester reflecting on how I was going to be that teacher that loved and cared about each student regardless of their circumstances and how everyone would have the potential to be successful. And yet, at times I was that student that didn't want to participate in class or was scared to approach the teacher. I thought that I could slip under the radar and they would never know who I was. But I thought wrong. That might have been possible in a general ed class of hundreds of students, but not in a small class of 30. My teachers knew my name, they commented on my work, they cared about me individually. It's their job to help and they gladly do it.
So even though I had a great semester, essentially I realized I could have done more. But ultimately, I got to see firsthand where both the teacher and student are coming from in a classroom and I think this really allowed me to understand. It changed the way I viewed my education and from here on out, I can't wait to be in these smaller settings where the teachers are there for me. Where I can fully take charrge of my own education and be the successful student by having those personal relationships with my teachers.
