Launching Out as a Student Teacher!

My two weeks in school has been very fulfilling which make the days and evenings full of work, presentation, reflections, and more. Due to family commitments, I have had some difficulties in terms of scheduling, focusing, and reading at home. The only place where I feel belonged was at the church last Saturday when I was stepping on the podium to conduct. I felt that that was who I was and truly felt the space for prayer.

Speaking of prayers, I have to let myself to pray more for gaining more positivity and momentum, especially for today. No matter how much sleep I got, I knew that I had to persist in learning and getting some intelligent thoughts out from my brain :) The passion about teaching is wonderful, because I have noticed a big difference when I put enthusiasm in my teaching yesterday with my piano student that her behavior changed and focussed well to try hard. She was taking ownership of her work and putting effort in trying new skills! I was very impressed!!! I never thought of encouraging and praising my student in such a way! I only knew from behavioral theorists about how to control problem behavior. Sometimes, I just have to be a bit more carefree and go with what I know in order to teach.

I have met a lot of interesting classmates in my cohort. Two of them have come back from Asia to study in school - one from Japan and one from China. I have enjoyed talking with them because they know a lot more than I know as a foreigner traveling in these countries. I haven't been back to Asia for almost three years - I really miss my Asian roots!

At the same time, being a Vancouverite is such a bliss because you get to be exposed with the Asian cultures very closely. At the same time, I have been living in Canada for almost 16 years that I now consider myself as a Chinese Canadian more than a Canadian Chinese. Teaching is a profession about expressing who we are and how we approach the tree of knowledge in our lives through challenges and difficulties. I used to love camping, hiking, and helping others that I want to do more in the near future helping out my students!

As fearful as it can be, a student teacher faces his or her own fears, as well as fears that come directly towards himself or herself - such as time management, student's behavioral issues, report card pressure, etc. Communicating with special needs could be a tough part because it isn't everyone on the same page with the perspectives, technology, and educational training to pave the way. I hope that my experiences from special needs background could be useful for the long-run in becoming a better and more compassionate individual and teacher!