Page 62: ECT 1 Complete - My Reflection.
Year 1 complete! It has been a busy year, with many highs as well as from time to time the inevitable lower days. Join me today for my monologue style reflection in regard to my first year of teaching. I am proud of myself, my team and most importantly my children. I am enjoying my break however looking forward to doing it all over again (for many many more years to come too).
Hello! I cannot believe we are at the end, it feels like yesterday I was sat down starting my ECT year, talking about what I had prepared, thinking about my strengths and my target areas I needed to develop this year from student teaching. It just feels crazy! We finished 2 weeks ago and it generally feels like I am just going to see the children tomorrow. It was a really emotional last day, and I would say a really emotional first year of teaching. The relationships that you form with the children, knowing that what you have learnt, developed and thought about with the children will have an impact for the rest of their lives. On that pivotal last day, just reading some of the cards that the parents had wrote, brought all of those memories and emotions to the surface.
What have a I learnt about teaching this year? I do not think I would be able to put that into one post, never mind a paragraph! I have learnt a lot about the children. Yes the children as a whole, but I have learnt about the children as individuals in regard to meeting both their learning needs and their growing personalities, establishing their curiosity, challenge, sense of humour and how to develop their independence in becoming an individual in their community. This leads onto what is of particular relevance to specifically teaching in Nursery. I very much feel in the world and society that we live in, our role in the classroom is not solely just 'teach'. The importance of working alongside the parents as a team to nurture the children, getting to spend the time with the children to establish those vital quality interactions to support the children develop and understand beyond the early learning goals in crucial. Additionally, I have learnt how to work with a variety of different staff. I have formed strong professional relationships as well as personal friendships this year. Forming these friendships with the people that you see everyday, that are going through the exact same thing at the exact same time, form a key role in your support network this is crucial in any job. They join you to celebrate your highs, and support to provide guidance and a needed hug around a low and I feel very fortunate to work in an amazing school where this has been the case above and beyond! On an introduction to a spiel of what I have learnt, I finally would say what I have learnt is the importance of the key relationships formed with all adults in school is integral. Not only in the classroom but as a whole school. I have learnt in regard to this, you quite literally just have to throw yourself into it! At the start of the year this may seem overwhelming but trust me, having these professional working relationships across the whole team from your teaching assistant to phase leader, cook, cleaner and caretaker (the list is endless) are the people and the support you and your children need to ensure they are receiving the most exciting and highest quality of learning. There are amazing teachers in our educational system and I would very much like to think as I develop and my experience and expertise grow I will be one of these, however, no individual (regardless of how fabulous they may be) is able to do this alone. I am proud of the team I am in and what we do together, for our children.
Finally upon reflection of this first year and where I do feel and stand within the school and our team? I feel a real central part of the school. I feel like a member of staff that now at times, others come and ask me things. It still almost feels surreal where at the start of the year, working in a team with years of knowledge and little me walking in with my big ideas but asking everyone things left right and centre to ensure I did not miss anything and that important curriculum continuity was in place, to now, it coming really quite full circle. When reflecting, to now being not a new member of staff, I have began to establish my areas of expertise that I am passionate about leading and that people now ask me things on. It will be really interesting and I look forward to seeing how this develops throughout my career.
In general, to finally sum up my first year of teaching, it has just be fabulous, I have throughly enjoyed it, I would not change any of it, I already want my class back, however I can not wait to do it all over again!
I hope you enjoyed this slightly different blog post and my reflective spiel on the amazing year I have had. Over summer, I will continue to share my reflections in more detail from this year as well preparing my new classroom and some tricks and tips for September. I look forward to sharing another year with you.
As always, to finish with a thought provoking quote that almost mirrors my mirage of feelings throughout this year, particularly teaching in the EYFS:
"If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense if wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscover with him the joy, the excitement, and the mystery of the world we live in." - Rachel Carson.
- Miss Yeoman
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