I spent the past four weeks doing my practicum in Vanderhoof BC at Nechako Valley Secondary School. I had no idea what to expect from my coaching teacher but I knew to expect something. I had never considered who else I might meet.
Arriving at NVSS, I was anxious AF. New school, new students, new staff, new roommates, new everything! Let alone a pending PT evaluations… My CT, bless his heart, had enough on his plate let alone an anxious frustrated teacher in training. As an objective observer my CT didn’t want to over engage, thankfully he asked a few other teachers to check in on me regularly.
My CT had been teaching for about 8 years, and he too had a mentor teacher. A grizzled old and wise biology teacher named Cassey. Cassey would tell me regularly about how my students raved and enjoyed my classes. He would also remind me when I was defeated or frustrated about the reality that a new teacher is often frustrated and defeated.
Two EAs, were teaching on letters of permission while completing their teacher certificates online. Heather and Jeanine were in charge of two intermediate classes and boy were they wild. The students and the teachers. They had fun in every action, whether it was group meetings, lunch times, and ESPECIALLY I could hear them having fun through the adjacent walls with their students. Like water off their backs, nothing bothered them as much as the cheese cloth bothered me.
I think by design principals in rural communities need to be friendly to student teachers. The demand for new staff is just so high. Despite that I think that the VP and Principal at NVSS were genuine in their politeness. I remember one day Erin found me digging a pop bottle out of the recycling bin. The reason for this scavenge was to store some of the oil used in my laval lamps lab, but when she inquired I shrugged and said “teacher wages am I right?”. We laughed heartily at it together.
I’ll never forget my time out there. Actually I know that I will, especially the next time that anxiety grips me. Perhaps I should consider retelling myself these stories more often. In this way, the strength of these memories will surface, pushing back at the uncertainty in life.
