It was very informative to have Sarah and (was it John? I'm sorry, I've forgotten his name) visit and share with us about their time as both student teachers, first year teachers, and now experienced teachers.
It was good to hear about struggling as a mentor to both develop personal teaching style, but also have to fit in to the mentor teacher's classroom management / teaching style. This is something I have been struggling with already (even though I really haven't done that much teaching yet!)—not so much with my English mentor teacher, but with my French mentor teacher. So, it was useful for me to hear that the feeling is not something that I alone experience! :)
It was likewise nice of her to share that she wishes she could take back her first year of teaching—because she felt like she floundered a bit and because she felt like she wasn't as effective as she would be today. I think that is an important lesson for all of us to learn and keep in mind—we're in this business because we are life long learners, and teaching, like so many things, is a learning experience.
On a final note, I'm looking forward to seeing some of the videos that John (?) created with his students ... It'll be fun to implement some new techniques in the English classroom!
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Just to set the record straight, Paul Merritt was with Sarah. I'll see if I can get some of his videos to share. The one he did during his student teaching was a fun experience and a great teaching tool.
Thanks for that clarification, Larry. I really enjoyed how he discussed his classroom management style but consciously refrained from mentioning it because I couldn't remember his name! :(
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