New Placement, New Learning

I was not looking forward to leaving my classroom at Ridge Street School. I developed a wonderful professional and personal relationship with my mentor, and I grew to love the students in my classroom. I believe that they know how much I care about them, and are confident that I valued each of them for who they are as individuals for the time I was with them. I wasn't sure I would be able to walk into a completely different placement in the middle of the year and feel as part of the classroom. Especially since there would also be three aides whose presence would surely alter the dynamic of my relationship with both my new mentor and students.

When I started my new placement last Monday, I did not know what to expect. Sure, I had spent time getting to know my mentor when I observed her class last year, but my purposes for being there would be very different this time around. I wouldn't just be observing and helping out, I would be taking on all the responsibilities of a teacher for the remainder of the school year. I wondered how well my sudden presence would be received.

After spending 4 days in my new placement, I have come to realize a few things. First, I will have to make some adjustments. I have to develop a different kind of relationship with my new mentor because she is a different person, and the needs of the students in her classroom are different than in my previous placement. Change is good, and I am at the point in the residency where I do not need as much support as I did 5 months ago. The timing is just right for me. I know I have a steep learning curve. There are new strategies, materials, techniques, websites and procedures I will have to learn about and use on a daily basis. Perhaps most important of all, I know I will grow to love this new group of students just like I did at my old school. Every day that I come back, I sense them opening up to me more and growing aware that I am going to be a permanent fixture in the classroom. It will take time to develop these relationships, and I just have to remind myself that everything did not fall into place instantly in my last placement.

I am excited about what the next 5 months will bring. I know I will learn a great deal and push my practice to new levels. I am also someone who will bring new ideas and ways of doing things that I have gathered during my time in the residency. I am confident that I will a well-rounded resident who is ready to become an effective teacher of record.