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l felL llke a sh ouL of waLer durlng my rsL couple weeks of sLudenL
Leachlng. l was Lrylng Lo plan deLalled lessons, sLay up all nlghL learnlng Lhe
conLenL l was unsure of, and handle everyLhlng LhaL came my way on my own-
oen so focused on my own plans LhaL l neglecLed Lhe needs of sLudenLs. 8uL as
Lhe weeks progressed, l developed an ease ln Leachlng LhaL l've rarely felL dolng
anyLhlng before. As l focused less on my deLalled plannlng and conLenL
acqulsluon, and more on bulldlng relauonshlps wlLh sLudenLs and colleagues, my
sLudenL Leachlng experlence became rlch, rewardlng, and purposeful. l really goL
Lo know my sLudenLs. l spenL ume wlLh Lhem ouLslde of Lhe classroom-auendlng
school plays, baskeLball games, and knowledge bowls. l devoLed plannlng perlods
Lo common plannlng and assessmenL wlLh deparLmenL colleagues. l worked Lo geL
Lo know my cooperaung Leacher, and hls advlce and encouragemenL proved
lnvaluable Lo me.
l guess lf l had Lo sum up whaL l learned from sLudenL Leachlng Lhls
semesLer, lL would be Lhls: relauonshlps come rsL. lf l'm gemng Lhe relauonshlps
parL rlghL, Lhe resL of lL-Lhe plannlng, Lhe dlerenuauon, Lhe classroom
managemenL, Lhe Lechnology lnLegrauon-wlll follow.