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From week fve through to six o the universit! semester " underwent
#roessiona$ ex#erience at two institutions within the %ee$ region& " ex#erienced
what it was $ike to 'e a mem'er o sta( in 'oth a #rimar! and secondar!
setting which has ounded m! drive to work toward earning the status o an
educator come the com#$etion o m! degree& Though m! course o stud!
stradd$es 'oth the #rimar! and secondar! settings this ex#erience has drawn
m! ocus to one area in #articu$ar& This ex#erience has given me a dee#er
insight into the ro$e o schoo$s in )ustra$ia* the #ur#ose and res#onsi'i$ities o a
c$assroom teacher and the diversit! o the chi$dren+ our societ!s uture&
These two weeks o #roessiona$ ex#erience have given me a much more
overarching understanding o the di(erent ro$es and res#onsi'i$ities o a
c$assroom teacher& The mentor teachers that were to guide me through this
ex#erience* when it came down to it* #$a!ed a ver! simi$ar #art in the schoo$
communit!& )t 'oth ,iverside %rimar! -choo$ and .oodanu# .ommunit!
.o$$ege a teachers ro$e is much more than /ust giving students inormation or
them to conce#tua$i0e and remem'er& " ex#erienced this frst hand& Both
teachers were to encourage the deve$o#ment o too$s needed to urther ones
know$edge& 1n to# o this* educators in a schoo$ setting are there to deve$o#
students socia$ ski$$s* co#ing ski$$s* he$# with deve$o#menta$* menta$ or
emotiona$ issues and much more& Each o m! mentor teachers invested a $ot o
their time into he$#ing these chi$dren to deve$o# and 2ourish into educated
!oung adu$ts* whether it 'e in a #rimar! or secondar! setting is irre$evant&
3owever* ex#eriencing this frst hand made me rea$i0e /ust how vita$ the frst
ew !ears o schoo$ing are in a chi$ds $ie& 4an! o the issues that a secondar!
student aced stemmed rom #ro'$ems that were ex#erienced or originated in
ear$ier !ears& " was to$d that schoo$ attendance #atterns are set '! !ear 5& "
ound this act 6uite conronting and came to the rea$i0ation that " want to have
a #ositive im#act on the $ie o a chi$d and #re#are them or the wider wor$d&
This is wh! " have decided that " wou$d fnd much /o! in 'eing a c$assroom
teacher in a #rimar! setting* there to #rovide each and ever! chi$d with a
strong oundation o a$$ $ie ski$$s to the 'est o m! a'i$it!+ a strong oundation
or which a successu$ mem'er o )ustra$ian societ! can then 'e 'ui$t u#on&
%roessiona$ Ex#erience
Tiana Samuels
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7
"n 'oth the #rimar! and secondar! setting it was evident that each and ever! chi$d
has di(erent strengths and weaknesses* $earning st!$es* attitudes and va$ues& "
$earned that it was crucia$ to identi! these di(erences and em'race the diversit!
within the c$assroom& Both teachers showed me that diversit! can and shou$d 'e
accommodated within the c$assroom& "n the #rimar! setting activities were a$tered
to accommodate visua$ $earners or students that #reerred to use #ractica$ methods
o a##$ication& Di(erent cu$tures were ex#$ored throughout the !ear and the
c$assroom teacher greeted students in a $anguage other than Eng$ish some da!s&
There was evidence o this acce#tance in the secondar! setting too with a'origina$
cu$ture woven into the a##earance o the schoo$* the $anguage o teachers and
much more& The di(ering #rograms a$so showcased this em'racement o diversit!
amongst students& )ter $earning this* " 'ecame drawn toward #rimar! c$assroom
teaching as " 'e$ieve that this acce#tance o diversit! and thereore se$8acce#tance
at a !oung age is crucia$ or the tracking o the rest o an individua$s $ie* and "
wou$d $ove to 'e a #art o that&
)ter visiting 'oth ,iverside and .oodanu# schoo$s it 'ecame c$ear to me that
institutions such as these #$a! a $arge #art in our working societ!& -choo$ is a #$ace
or chi$dren to $earn and grow in a ostering environment that is designed to create
o##ortunities or ever!one& During m! #roessiona$ ex#erience " saw 'oth schoo$s
invo$ving themse$ves within the communit! which " 'e$ieve is vita$ or chi$dren to
see whi$st in their ear$! !ears o schoo$ing& " 'e$ieve that* es#ecia$$! in #rimar!
schoo$ !ears* giving chi$dren the a'i$it! to deve$o# a sense o communit! and unit!
within their modern da! societ! is creating a 'ui$ding '$ock or their contri'ution in
uture !ears& )s an as#iring educator " wish to 'e a #art o this #rocess&
During these two weeks o #roessiona$ ex#erience " ee$ as though " have $earned
so much* and have a 'roader view o what it is to 'e a teacher* the diversit! o
chi$dren within schoo$s and the res#ect that this deserves* as we$$ as understanding
that schoo$ is a crucia$ e$ement o )ustra$ian societ!& )$though " wou$d 'e hum'$ed
to work in 'oth a #rimar! or secondar! setting* " ee$ as though " am driven to
#rovide the oundation or a successu$* ha##! and u$f$$ed individua$ at an ear$!
age so that the! have more o an o##ortunit! to thrive in our societ!&
,eerences
9roundwater8-mith* -&* Ewing* ,&* :e .ornu* ,& et a$ ;7011< Teaching
Challenges and Dilemmas
,iverside %rimar! -choo$ ;701=< htt#>??riverside#s&wa&edu&au?
.oodanu# .ommunit! .o$$ege ;701=< htt#>??www&coodanu#&wa&edu&au?