Reflection on my role and expectations of the professional practicum

experience (before starting teaching)

When I arrived at Colegio Maria Inmaculada I knew it was going to be a big challenge.

First of all, I’ve never worked with only female students before, so the environment inside

the classroom was very different from my other practicum experiences. Moreover, I

realized that every grade had many students (45) and it was going to be very difficult to

manage them because of their different English levels, their age, their different likes and

dislikes, etc… However, I felt anxious to put in practice everything I learnt during these

five years at the university. I knew that I had that advantage and that I was prepared for

everything.

At the beginning I felt really nervous, but when I start to get to know more information

from my students I felt more confident at the moment of preparing my classes. In addition

to this, I realized that it was going to be difficult to make the students get used to my new

methodologies and ways of teaching. My attitude towards them was always positive and

with respect, so I tried to make them feel comfortable at the moment of asking me

something they did not understand.

Regarding my counseling class, at the beginning I felt really lost because I did not know

which issues I had to talk them. I felt prepare at the moment of teaching English but talking

about behavior problems, grade problems, etc… was something that I did not do before that

moment. Therefore, this was my biggest challenge to overcome during the practicum.

I know that teaching have many difficulties, but I like challenges and I wanted to make the

best job possible during my time at that school. For me, teaching is something essential not

only in the language area but also in the value area. I am aware that I am not a teacher yet

and that I have a lot to learn during this experience. However, I will listen to my service

teacher’s advice to improve myself as a teacher and as a person. I expect to motivate

students and to make them understand how important is to learn another language, in this

case, English. I really want to inspire them to become better human beings with goals and

dreams. I hope to become a good influence on them and to make a difference in their lives

to help them in every possible way to become professionals and persons with integrity.