Practicum Week 13/13 (Recap)

Hi everyone! 

I never really had the chance to blog about my last practicum post.  For me, I feel like at this point, it is tricky to share my personal feelings on a blog.  But I will do it because this blog is about me and my journey in teaching.  I want to be authentic because then it truly reflects who I am.  How can it be a journey without an emotional component?  Because without our emotions then what true meaning does this journey entail? 

The truth is, right after my final practicum finished, I suddenly became really sad and the intensity of that sadness loomed over to many other things in my life as other events occurred   I recently spoke with my FA and she told me that she probably could of told me that that may happen and to take some time off.  I don't think I'll ever truly understand my feelings at that time but I sure miss the children, my colleagues, and the school!  I often dream of them and I hope to see them soon. :)   

It has been a challenging year because at times I really didn't know why certain things were happening to me.  I'll probably blog about that in a future date!  It'll be good but now is not the time for that post.  At this moment (at the end of the hot dog/sausage! - inside joke with my cohort), I see the reasons why and I have to say every experience has not only made me a stronger person but a person who truly is persistent, courageous, and able to overcome challenges.  I feel I have been learning so much about myself, myself as a teacher, my students, and the world.  Everyone that I have come across has been my personal teacher and just like my kindergarten students, I too am learning more and more each day!  Truthfully, as a life-long learner, I am learning more and more about myself too in this journey!  

I remember one of my professors told me to 'honor the process' and I really just want to get going.  I was so anxious to be perfect, to try to do well, and move on that I did not appreciate my own learning styles and uniqueness.  From this, I learned that this is something we need to reinforce and acknowledge in our students because we are so driven by outcomes that we forget about the journey of learning.  It's a beautiful process and if we do not acknowledge our journey then we overlook our own learning, gifts, and potentials.

Also, I learned recently to really celebrate my endeavors and it's not that I have never heard of that before but sometimes I just don't acknowledge my own success enough.  Maybe I am a bit too modest but I think this success of finishing my BEd and practicum is something I truly appreciate and need to celebrate.  I did not celebrate the success of my practicum as many personal things came right after so here's to me finishing my final practicum finally!  I feel like throughout this education program, I've learned enough to write a short novel. 

And so...

I feel like this child here! Woohoo!!!

S U C C E S S!!! 

I passed and completed my final practicum!
Therefore I am one step closer to getting my BEd at the end of May!

:*) :*) :*) :*) :*) :*) :*) 

And I am ever ever so thankful and appreciative! I think I am still at shock from time to time of just how awesome it was!  I could not of asked for anything better.  Also, writing this blog has allowed me to reflect on the things that I have done and I am so proud of the children and myself! 

There are so many people that I want to thank. I won't mention any names here but I hope they know who they are already!

Also, in my last week of school, my kindergarten class, SA, and parents planned a party for me!  I was too shock to cry as I was prepping myself to not cry on the last day.  I was so surprised and I am very thankful.  I did not expect anything and I was truly overwhelmed.  They got me a huge card that was so sweet!

  My colleagues gave me books for my future library!  How sweet and some provided extra materials for me.  They have been so supportive and I surely enjoyed the collaborations and active discussions about how to support our kids. My SA gave me a lovely card and tools for me to use in the future!  The parents gave me a wonderfully warm pair of indoor shoes! So needed at this time of the year because it's so cold!  

The children wrote me a book 'I loved it when... Ms. Huang' and drew the most beautiful artwork about me and them.  I was so in awe and every time I read it, I feel so privileged to be a part of their lives.  This is just some of the artwork!   

Hard work and going with the flow does pay off! I learned so much from all of my colleagues and they are my teachers! I am not ashamed to share this success and this is something that I am learning to do! I'm not perfect and I will never be. This was an emotional journey as I shared many laughs and some cries with the kids and colleagues. I hope my students will know in the future that they should not feel ashamed of their own personal success and to honour their journey to that success! As for humanity, we need to positively support each other and even the seemingly small successes are truly invaluable. 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

A reminder to myself: 

Honour your successes because life will continue throwing you challenges and sometimes you need to reflect on your successes to keep going and pursuing your dreams and passions!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

If you reading this or anyone you know that needs support or just someone to talk to about their practicum or teacher education experience, please feel free to send me an email! ohmissdonna@gmail.com 

The biggest thing I have learned is that help is there, it's okay to ask for help and there are many people who want to help you succeed! Working hard is great but don't forget to take care of yourself. We called it 'have a mental health day or break!' :*)