When I learned that my student teaching placement was in a 6th grade general science classroom I panicked. Middle schoolers? Yikes. Not chemistry?? Double yikes. Just a few days into my placement, however, I dared admit that it was actually kind of... fun! By the end of my placement, I realized that I was in it for the long ride- teaching is my passion whether it's with 6th graders, 10th graders, or adults. TPP helped instill confidence in my skills, yes, but also in my craft. I am confident that teaching is my passion, and I am confident that I am good at my passion- all because of TPP.
A few months after graduating and completing the TPP certificate program at Princeton I was planning on pursuing a master's program in education in my home city of Chicago. However, I was given the incredible opportunity to teach at a selective enrollment public school in Chicago with a short-term educator license. The plan is to teach for another year or two and then pursue my permanent teaching license with a more focused idea of what I want out of a master's program.
The "aha!" moment that I hope every student of mine experiences at least once in my class is what keeps me excited about my work.