Things learned

My students and I had a great relationship. Both parties did was expect from one another. I taught, they tried to understand and do their best. I respected them no matter what; they respected me as an adult and as an authority figure. The students did their best in learner a language that is not simple to learn. Even though most of these students are Hispanic, Spanish is not spoken constantly in their households. These students got to learn more than the language; they got to learn the culture a little bit better. The students were really fortunate to have 2 teachers that were both fluent in the language but that had also lived in a Latin-American country. My cooperating teacher is from the Dominican Republic and lived there for almost 20 years. I am a New Yorker raised in Colombia for 10 years.
From them I learned a lot. I learned that sometimes I had to be sympathetic to personal situations. Everyone at a certain point has difficulties. The students need someone that can maybe guide them through a rough path. That person might be a teacher. I also learned that I had to adapt to everyone’s learning style. Each student was totally different from the next. Each one had a special need; adaptation to everyone was a huge key to my success with them.
My philosophy of teaching has not changed much. I taught them with kindness, firmness, and respect. Every student got that from me day in and day out.