Day in the Life of a Teacher

How did you cope/manage completing the three days of “Life of a Teacher”?

Completing the Day in the Life of a Teacher sounded like a very daunting task to me at first. Taking over the classroom for a whole day is very different from teaching a lesson or two every week. I explained my nervous feelings towards the Day in the Life of a Teacher with my mentor teacher, and she reassured me that all teachers learn new things every day, and that I should view these three days as a learning experience. My 3 Days in the Life of a Teacher went really well, as my mentor teacher provided me with lots of guidance and planning following up to the days I took over. I was able to learn so much in my 3 days, and I was able to overcome any challenges and difficult situations that came my way because I had great support from my mentor teacher.

How did you feel taking on all the responsibilities of a teacher in Block 1 compared to Block 2?

When I completed the Day in the Life of a Teacher in Block 1, I was really nervous because I felt as if I had not had enough time to get to know the learners, and they did not have enough time to recognize me as a teacher. The day was filled with many challenges, but once it was over my mentor teacher gave me lots of advice and guidance on how to approach the 2 days of Day in the Life of a Teacher in Block 2. The 2 days in Block 2 went way smoother and I felt like I had developed a good teacher-learner relationship with the learners. While there will still challenges that arose, I was able to overcome all of them with confidence.

Which activities did you find most challenging? How did you overcome these challenges?

One of the reoccurring challenges faced during the Day in the Life of a Teacher was Classroom Management. My mentor and I had very different teaching strategies, and so it was tough getting learners to settle during lessons and after interval. I also struggled to find the balance between getting to know learners well and establishing that respect in them for me as a teacher. To combat these challenges, I had a discussion with the learners explaining that while I am a student, I am their teacher for the day and I expect to be respected as their teacher. This discussion worked well in establishing the teacher-learner relationship in the classroom.

Analyse your results of your self- evaluation survey where would you rate yourself higher?

I think that I would not change my results on my self-evaluation survey because it reflects what I thought of myself as an educator at that time. While it may not be a true evaluation of myself as a teacher now, I think it can be used as a great tool for reflection, and help me work towards being the teacher I aspire to be.

Justify how you have improved these competencies through this experience.

Having the experiences in the classroom has taught me so much. I have learnt that adaptability is a very important skill to have as a teacher. As much planning as I had done for my 3 days of Day in the Life of a Teacher, some situations I faced could not have been planned for. This is why I think that these 3 days were very important because it allowed me to be in the position of the class teacher for the day. I have also learnt so much about time-management and classroom management in these 3 days taking over the classroom.

Look at the exit level outcomes and the final comments of your mentor teacher in your School Assessment Log & Report. Compare this to the initial self -evaluation you had completed at the beginning of your teaching experience.

I think that the exit level outcomes and my initial self-evaluation shows how this experience has aided in my development as a teacher. While the Day in the Life of a Teacher seemed daunting at first, I am grateful to have experienced everything that I have in these 3 days, as it brought me a step closer to becoming

the teacher I aspire to be.