Dear Diary
As I walked down into the classroom on my last day of teaching practice at the State Secondary Commercial School on Okop Eto Road in Ikot Ekpene, which I was sent to, I couldn't help but feel a sense of bittersweetness in me. On one hand, I was excited to be moving on to the next chapter of my life and focusing on the remaining discipline of mine because the load was too much for me, but on the other hand, I knew that I was going to miss my students and the experiences we shared together, in fact everything.
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Topic of Lesson for The Day
The lesson I got for that day, Friday, June 23, 2023, was on the preparation, packaging, and marketing of food, which is part of the Home Economics curriculum. I was assigned to teach and assist the other staff in the JSS3 class, probably due to coming up as a junior WAEC, and the school also knew my competence and discipline. I had spent the previous night preparing for the lesson.
As I walked down into the classroom, I was greeted by the smiling faces of my students in one voice. I could see the eagerness in their eyes as they waited for me to get the lesson started. I started by asking them what they knew about the topic, and I was pleasantly surprised by their level of knowledge, maybe because the lesson was about food and it's something most of them are familiar with.
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Sharing Experience of the Lesson
I then proceeded to share my experience with them, which I believed would make the lesson more practical and relatable to them. I told them about my days as a young boy, helping my mother in the kitchen and learning how to prepare different dishes as well. I also shared my experience working in a restaurant during my after-school days before enrolling at the university, where I learned about the importance of packaging and marketing food.
The students listened attentively as I spoke, and I could see the excitement in their eyes already. They asked questions and shared their own experiences, which made the lesson more interactive and engaging while at the same time boosting morale.
After The Lesson
After my lesson, I was overwhelmed with emotions as my students came up to me, one by one, to say goodbye and wish me well in my future endeavors. I walked down to all the classes in JSS3 and also got the same approach with words of emotion. I then promised to come back to the school for my next Teaching Practice coming up next year.
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Later that day, we received a farewell from the other staff and the principal of the school. Although no presents were given to us, the words of advice and encouragement we received were worth more than any material gift or thing.
My Tips and Strategy in Teaching
Looking back to my last day of teaching practice, I realized that the key to a successful teaching experience is to be passionate about the subject matter and to make the lessons practical and relatable to the students. Here are some tips and strategies that I used to make my days of teaching practice a success:
1. Prepare well in advance: It is very important to prepare well in advance for each lesson to ensure that you are confident, competent, and knowledgeable about the subject matter.
2. Be interactive enough: Encourage your students to ask questions and share their own experiences to make the lesson more engaging and awesome.
3. Be very passionate: Show enthusiasm and a good passion for the subject matter to create a positive learning environment.
4. Be relatable: Use your personal experiences and real-life examples to make the lesson more practical and relatable to the students; this will keep them lively.
5. Always Receive feedback: Always ask for feedback from your students in every class to improve your teaching skills and make future lessons even better and more enjoyable.
In conclusion, my last day of teaching practice at the State Secondary Commercial School, Okop Eto Road, Ikot Ekpene, was an amazing, palatable, awesome, and courageous experience for me, the school as a whole, and my students. I will always cherish the memories we shared together, and I am confident that the lessons they learned from me as their teacher will serve them well in the future and make them wonder.
I invite @bossj23, @vudeme123, and @uyisaac to participate in this contest and also comment on this post.