A Learning Journey

The last four weeks have been crazy for me:

• Setting up a classroom;
• Learning my way around a new school;
• Trying to discover what it is that makes a successful senior kindergarten class in French Immersion;
• Planning for my classes;
• Meeting deadlines;
• Helping my own children;
• Doing housework;
• Spending time with my family.

The list seems endless and there never seem to be enough hours in the day. I spend moments second-guessing myself: Am I doing things properly and in the right way? Have I done enough? My exhaustion drags me down. I feel tired. I cough. I lose my voice.

And yet it seems worth it when my students begin to ask “Puis-je allé aux toilettes?”; when they respond “jaune” after I ask the colour of an object (in French); when a parent tells me their child is singing French songs at home; when my students know to go to “le tapis” after hanging up their coats. What a pleasure it is for me when a child counts up to 15 with no errors; or when hands go up to answer a question I have asked and the correct responses are given – all in French.

What begins to blossom in my heart is the sense of satisfaction I know will only grow during the year. It is the small moments of satisfaction and the pleasure I get at seeing a child achieve the learning goals of the class that encourages me to go on, day after day, week after week, until I find the best way to teach them.

For now I continue to search, to discover, to learn the ways in which I can engage my students in their learning. And I know that as I am learning I have a forgiving audience in my students as they learn with me at their side. We are all on a journey of learning; and all we can hope for is to learn to the best of our ability – and to take pleasure in the journey.

What learning journey are you on at the moment?

© Colline Kook-Chun, 2013

Advertisement