Transition to teaching

Ironically, we had a unit titled this in our final, block-moded semester of uni. The unit was aimed to help us prepare for work as a casual relief teacher and included assembling a teaching kit, a final practicum component, and for some still unknown reason, a largely irrelevant poster task.

But the real inspiration for this post came not from uni (unsurprisingly), but while I was cleaning down the sinks in the home economics room at school. I had just survived a largely successful cooking session with my year 8 class. I had prepared for chaos, and it was indeed chaotic. But above all that I was somewhat disbelieving of how well it had actually worked out. As all must surely know, I am in actual fact a rather lousy cook. It dawned on me as I was clearing up in the aftermath that the transition to becoming a teacher involves so much more than just moving from a lecture theatre to a classroom. It's about moving into teaching practice, of course, but it's also about learning to lead others in new experiences and skills - often requiring us to step up and develop these for ourselves!

As I'm transitioning into teaching, I can't help but feel I am transitioning into a more 'real' adulthood as well. Or maybe that's just the kids making me feel old!