Pre-Departure

I am leaving for Barcelona in less than a month and I am growing excited about many things. I think I have grown more as an educator during my student teaching than I have throughout the rest of my college experience combined. The opportunity to teach, experiment and reflect on my lessons during student teaching has made me a much more effective educator. So, when asked what I am looking forward to the most about student teaching in Spain, my answer is the chance to practice teaching in a new environment and to learn about new resources/methods I can use in the future.

In each school I have been placed at throughout my experience at WKU, I have learned about new resources and teaching methods. Working in a school in a new country will likely give me the opportunity to learn about teaching methods and resources that I have yet to see. It may also be interesting to see what methods of classroom management and instruction are similar to practices i have seen in Kentucky. Before having my own classroom, I believe it is important to have a wide variety of experiences to base my instructional practices off of. Having a diverse background of teaching tools will help me differentiate instruction, make learning student centered, and help me keep lessons engaging.

I am also looking forward to student teaching abroad because it will allow me to test my problem solving abilities. To be a good educator, it is critical to be able to think on your feet. Lessons are much more effective if you respond to the students needs as they are presented to you. Travelling to a new country will give me a new set of situations. These will require me to use what I know and react to the best of my ability. This skill will help me as an educator immensely. In my classrooms there will always be new situations that I will be required to make quick decisions about. Practicing effective decision making will prepare to be a better educator.

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