TEACHING PRACTICAL: WHAT IT’S REALLY LIKE TO BE A STUDENT TEACHER

Jomari Langenhoven

@___joma.ri__

 

Student teaching is a very challenging part of every education student’s life. Each semester, education students need to go work as student teachers at a school for four weeks. These four weeks involve no compensation and a lot of work. Students need to teach classes, supervise students, mark books, prepare lessons, help with extracurricular activities or anything else that is required from the school.

 

These four weeks give students the necessary experience and knowledge to effectively and easily enter the workforce. It is a crucial learning experience for any future educator.

 

According to Jared Kruger, a fourth-year Education student majoring in Mathematics and English, “No matter how much you think you know about teaching, there is always more that you can learn in order to improve.”

 

Nellje Visser, a fourth-year Education student majoring in Mathematics and Life Sciences, commented, “I learned to be strong. It sounds stupid but teaching really gives you a thick skin, especially when you’re working with teenagers. I learned how to lead with confidence and pride without losing respect from my learners. Working with people is hard work, working with teenagers – that’s an art!”

 

Being a student teacher is a very challenging experience, which is often easily underestimated by others.

 

When asked about the biggest challenges she has faced, Chanè Ouwencamp, a third-year Education student, stated, “The biggest challenge has been dealing with the students in class. Some learners don’t respect student teachers and will go out of their way to make it difficult for us to teach. It has been challenging learning how to handle these learners while not taking away other learners’ educational time.”

 

Wilma Ernst, a fourth-year Education student majoring in Mathematics and Life Sciences, added, “The biggest challenge I faced as a student teacher that completed practical periods at four different schools, was probably to fit into new situations. I’ve been to public schools, private schools, underfunded and rich schools. Each school was different in many ways and to find my feet each time was fun but the most challenging part of each practical.”

 

Although working as a student teacher is challenging, it can also be extremely rewarding.

 

Shanè Nagel, a first-year Education student majoring in English and Afrikaans, said “The most rewarding part is seeing your learners grow and achieve goals they did not think they could. During a practical I did spelling tests with my learners each Friday and with the first one they did horribly. I then motivated them and told them I believed in them. With the second one, they all did amazing and I could see they took time to learn. I was so proud of them.”

 

Nagel shared her funniest experience so far as a student teacher, “On our last day as student teachers, I brought my speakers to class. One of the students connected and played Call Me Maybe by Carly Ray Jepsen. As soon as the chorus hit, the whole class started singing. I laughed so much I cried.”

 

Working as a student teacher is an easy way to establish whether or not you are pursuing the right career field. This experience will almost immediately indicate whether you should be a teacher or not.

 

Teaching is not a career that should be pursued merely for money or employment, but rather because it is a calling or a passion.

 

Alicia Lombaard, a first-year Education student, said that what inspired her to pursue a career in education is her belief in, “The importance of fostering a supportive environment where learners can develop not only academically, but also morally and socially, preparing them to achieve amazing things later in their lives.”

 

Ouwencamp commented, “I was raised in a ‘teacher’ home. My dad, uncle and grandma were all teachers. So, from a young age I knew that’s what I wanted to become. I knew I could make a difference in a learner’s life like I saw my family members do.”

 

When working as a student teacher, one can easily become attached to your learners. It never gets easier leaving your class behind when those four weeks are over.

 

Visser commented, “The worst part is leaving the kids you taught behind. It’s scary how much you care about the kids after only being their teacher for a month and then you must leave them, never really knowing what happens to them when you’re gone.”

 

When asked for advice to prospective student teachers, Lombaard remarked, “Go in with a clear mind and a big heart.”

 

Kruger added, “Don’t waste your practical by sitting in a corner. Take each opportunity to teach the learners, and you’ll be surprised to see how much you actually learn about yourself and your learners.”

 

Edited by Mhlengi Khumalo