In order to tell my story of student teaching at Campus School, I have to set the scene: my dorm room this year is unlike any other. My busy dorm room is a testament to the value of integrating my work as a teacher into my life as a student.
Throughout my time at Smith College, teaching and learning have been two strings on the same loom; now, through my work at Campus School, I begin weaving them together with confidence and poise.
As I spend the semester in Group 4A with Tiphareth Ananda and sixteen phenomenal students, I add stitches to the tapestry daily. Working on my learning as an undergraduate student while simultaneously formulating my own teaching practice unlocks unprecedented growth. As a student teacher, I have an especially unique perspective on the relationship between teaching and learning: in my fourth grade classroom, I am a teacher who is learning, but in my college classrooms, I am a student who is teaching.
As a result, I have discovered how truthfully teaching means learning, and learning means teaching. Unbeknownst to them, my fourth graders teach me something meaningful every day. Together, we discover the best ways to establish classroom norms, conduct respectful discussions, and strategize about math. We also learn a lot about how to laugh together! In this way, teaching and receiving feedback from my students is an invaluable part of my learning process.
I am constantly refreshing my ideas about the personalities in my classroom and the most effective ways for us to learn together. Simultaneously, I bring my experiences in the classroom outward to share with my peers.
