This semester has been a little strange for me. I haven’t been to chapel or a Bible class since December. Also, although I only attend classes on campus once a week, this 13-hour semester is the most difficult one I’ve ever endured. On top of that, I just now started my spring break, two weeks after 90 percent of the student body left for theirs. Yes, I’m still a Harding student, but I have to remind myself of that fact occasionally.
Who am I? I’m a student teacher. I spend four out of five days every week observing and teaching 9th-11th grade English classes at Pangburn High School. Throughout the semester, I’ve been distressed, discouraged and overwhelmed by responsibilities. I’ve felt the strain resulting from being caught between going through the motions of life as an undergraduate student and preparing myself for a foreboding and rapidly approaching “grown-up life.” On top of that, I’m teaching. While the College of Education does an excellent job of preparing its students for student teaching, no class can fully prepare a student for just how stressful the experience can be.
Yet somehow this has been my best semester ever. This semester, with all its challenges and surprises, has been equally humbling and empowering. I’ve learned that I have a long way to go in order to become the teacher I want to be, but I’ve also learned that I’m far more capable and competent than I thought I was. Most importantly, my trust in God has grown over the course of this field experience. The times when I felt most unable to balance the responsibilities of student teaching, Harding classes, work, the job search and my social life (if you can call it that) are the times when I’ve had to rely on God the most. I know that it is God who has kept me from completely breaking down on the days when I’ve been the most stressed.
Of course, the support of my friends and family has helped me through a lot of difficulty, too. So I’d like to conclude by giving advice to those of you whose loved ones are student teaching: Let them know you’re praying for them. Listen and let them vent about “that one kid in that one class” or about how far behind in their grading they are. Reach out to them. They may be disconnected from student life, but they need your encouragement and support now more than ever.
