Self-Assessment

Teaching kindergartners is tough, way more than I thought. 

When I started doing my teaching practicum, I was nervous almost all the time. I have always thought that children don't like me and sometimes I don't like them either. That's why I can say that being a kindergarten teacher was a revealing experience. At the beginning a was really insecure about my teaching skills. I used to think that my students were bored in my classes and that my teaching practicum was going to be an endless pain, but then I realized it was not like that.

After a few classes I started knowing my students, and they were actually really cute. At the end of my practicum, I kind of fell in love with some of them. They were so polite and cute with me almost all the time; they seemed very excited about the English classes and they learned a lot. A couple of times, it was hard for me to find interesting activities to do with them, and of course I had to face a lot of troubles. Eventually I learned how to handle almost every situation; The main teacher of that classroom was really helpful; she used to give me pieces of advice when I made mistakes, and I really appreciated that.

For me, everything I went trough my practicum was an opportunity to learn something new. I think that I have grown as a person and most of all as a teacher in these couple of months. I discovered some skills that I didn't know I have, and let me tell it was quite a surprise. 

Learning a lot of things in my Didactics class and being able to put all that into practice in my teaching practicum was amazing. Now I have a whole repertoire of children songs, tales and stuff that I know is going to be very helpful in the future. I know that I was not perfect teacher; I made lots of mistakes, but I learned from them. 

Some pieces of advice that I can give to people who are going to do their teaching practicum in a kindergarten as well, are:

1. Never, ever, ever give candies to children, or you are going to die trying to give a lesson.

2. Try as hard as you can to be prepared for anything you could imagine. Like back up activities, prices, routines, surprises or anything that could help you.

3. Don't be afraid of being strong because if you are to sweet and calm with your kids, they are going to take advantage of it.

4. Be confident. Don't feel awkward singing and dancing children songs, doing mimics, playing fool or whatever outside of your comfort zone. If you feel embarrassed, your kids are going to notice, and they are going to react in the same way.

5. Don't be afraid of asking for help. Other teachers can be understanding and can give you an extra hand if you need it.

As a conclusion, being a teacher is a great and demanding job but also very rewarding. There is nothing like watching a child smile at you because you did a good job. I certainly know that this is just the beginning of a great journey, and I can't wait to see what's coming.