There were a lot of nerves on my first day of practicum, which of course was completely normal, but my nerves were even higher because my teacher mentor wanted me to begin my earth science unit that day. I owe a lot of gratitude to my teacher mentor because he truly believed in me and knew that I would be successful. Once full immersion hit, he was only in the classroom when he had to observe me. I remember him telling me that I am now the classroom teacher, that these are my students, and that I am the one in charge; he told me to trust myself and that I could do it. Having my teacher mentor passing on his classroom to me was when I truly knew that I was am no longer a student, I am a teacher. This feeling passed on when I was in Antigua where I was in the role of a teacher mentor. The two undergrads that I was teaching would always come to me and ask me what they should do. When these two were asking me for their help and needed me, I felt even more as a teacher. Below is a statement that one of my undergrads wrote on her blog post after us student teachers left the island while she was in Antigua on the Champions for Health Promoting Schools Program...
"All the undergrads scanned the room waiting for the TEPs to join us but when they didn't, we were all stuck with disbelief in knowing that they were gone. This experience would not be the same without the help and mentoring of the TEP Stampers. I can proudly say that Kasey Smith, my TEP teacher mentor, did everything she could to prepare Rochelle and I for when she left. It was a very strange feeling this morning arriving at Five Islands Primary without Kasey. However, as the day went on Rochelle and I had everything under control due to the amazing guidance from our teacher mentor."
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