Looking Back: A Reflection on Student Teaching
At the beginning of student teaching, we were asked to define our “theoretical north star.” Mine was "Relationality." At the time, I wasn’t entirely sure if "Relationality" was an established theoretical term or something I had perhaps 'hallucinated' amidst the hundreds of pages of academic literature we'd read. Either way, for me, it signified a commitment to focusing on cultivating connection throughout my student teaching experience. The mantra "connection before content," frequently emphasized by my parents (a theme in many of my previous reflections), continues to resonate deeply with me. My role as a classroom assistant, starting in October felt like a natural extension of an established professional pattern: prioritizing early relationship-building. This was a key point highlighted in my Cooperating Teacher's letter of recommendation, so it wasn't new territory. The more specific, or perhaps more focused, goal for this student t...