Yes. Its difficult to literally "take care of the little things" in my class. The pain is worth while because the kids I work with are so special to me. This job does not go without a few sighs, eye rolls, and maybe a couple tears. Answering the same questions over and over again can get quite tedious, but these kids make up for it with their sweet and genuine nature. As my last IIP Blog post, I just want to say that it has been such an honor to be in the CAPS program. I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend my senior year and to prepare me for my future in teaching.
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The learning never ends when you're working with kids. I never want to stop learning in the teaching industry. Every kid is different, whether by the way they look, learn. move. speak. or act. They're all unique and my job, as a teacher, is to learn out how to cater towards their individual needs. My internship may be ending soon, but my learning has only just begun.
To be a preschool teacher, means you have to be patient and dedicated. Its not all fun and games because these kids can be so difficult sometimes. Sometimes you just don't understand what they're saying or why they do the things they do, but just being able to take a deep breath and be patient with them, is exactly what they need. A teacher's job is to shape the kids' minds, lead by example. If you want them to learn how to be patient and kind, you have to be able to show them how it is done. I think some people decide to teach because they think its the easy way out. It seems easy on the outside, but its not. Some people really take teacher's hard work and effort for granted.
In the Early Education industry, work and play don't have a line between them. Kids seem to learn best when they don't realize that they are learning. For example, playing a board game can be a smoke screen for learning to take turns or learning how to show good sportsmanship. When kids play with each other, they are learning how to have conversations and how to advocate for themselves. Some workplaces can't mix work and play, but being a teacher really blurs the line to combine learning with fun.
After being at this Internship for about a month, I've encountered some wonderful stories, but the most heart warming story is about a little boy who got a new name. Every day a few kids get to tell their news of the week, and last week a boy named Gerard shared his news. He told everyone that he got adopted and the judge gave him his new name. Every teacher in the room (myself included) got teary eyed, watching his face light up with excitement when he told everyone that he went with his mommy, daddy, and siblings to the courthouse to get his new last name. This is definitely the most memorable story of this internship so far.
If I'm being honest, I haven't found one person at my internship that does not inspire me to go into this field of work. I find their persistence and patience so incredibly motivating. If I had to choose one person to describe as the most inspiring, I would have to say Nikki. She decided to become a behavioral aide while teaching preschoolers because she loves working with the kids who might need a little extra help. The kids I've been working with, that need a little extra assistance, are insanely smart and compassionate, it just takes a little bit of work to get through their shell and get them comfortable. I think I might follow the same path as Nikki after being able to watch her work with the kids the way she does. There's a stigma around these kids and its just incorrect. Some people might think that they're not as smart or that they are "slow" as some people put it, but they're not. These kids are just as smart as, if not smarter than the "regular" kids. Those words are often used to categorize children, but they are all incorrect. There is no such thing as a normal kid because everybody is different. Taking the extra few minutes to get to know the kids that need a little extra push, is really worth the time and effort in the long run.
This internship definitely means way more to me than just some job. Investigating my passion for working with children has been such an amazing time. It is so rewarding being able to work with these kids. I've wanted children for my whole life and I always assumed it was because I wanted to be a mother. I realized that its not just a family I wanted, it was that I wanted to pursue a career in the field. Since that moment, I decided that this internship would be the perfect opportunity to find out if it was the right plan for me. I am two weeks in, and I have fallen in love.
Another reason I found teaching to be so enticing was because of my experiences with Keren Sammett. I had always lacked the confidence to do anything my heart desired. I struggled with school because of some learning disabilities and it took a lot of hard work to get through it, but with the support from Ms. Sammett (and many others) I got through it. Ms. Sammett was my first support teacher in freshman year of high school. I had just been put on an IEP and didn't even understand what that meant. Ms. Sammett helped me through so many things in my high school career and she stuck with me. No matter how difficult I had been, she never gave up. She is the reason that I had enough courage to put myself out there and gain this position at the Preschool. I have her to thank for shaping me in the most crucial time of my emotional growth. I would be lucky enough to be half the teacher she has been throughout her career. I'm one week into this internship and I have already fallen in love with it. The preschool is a fun and high spirited learning environment for not only just the kids, but for myself. The people I work with are so accepting and welcoming. It is so clear to see that the teaching profession is what they were meant to do. It is not just a job to them, nor myself. They all seem so happy and joyful to be where they are, even when the children can be difficult to deal with. I have so much respect for this job and the people who pursue it. I find this career field to be so rewarding and uplifting to be a part of. The way I see the teachers help kids and be so happy to do it, really has been pushing me even more into this for my future. I started this internship pretty sure that I wanted to be a teacher, and now(after only one week) I am 100% positive that this is the career path for me. It may take a lot of work to get there, but watching these teachers' faces light up all day really makes it seem worth while.
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