One of the greatest privileges of attending BYU, the Lord's university, is being able to use our faith to guide our learning. Whether it be a prayer, spiritual thought, or gospel connection, all of these remind us that when school becomes a bit challenging, we have the Lord to look up to. This has been especially helpful to me this semester as I have begun my first semester of practicum.
I knew this semester would be challenging, but I didn't know how challenging until I started. Through all these challenges, I have kept in mind the McKay School of Education's mission statement: “At the BYU McKay School of Education, our inspiration is Jesus Christ, the Master Teacher. We educate for eternity, knowing that every person is a child of God with a divine nature and destiny.”
My inspiration is the Master Teacher, Jesus Christ, which has allowed me to form new perspectives on my challenges and ultimately has taught me how to be patient and humble.
This semester, I have truly learned the importance of practicing patience. This may seem like a given for a teacher; however, patience is a never-ending skill. There are going to be many days that are going to be challenging and long for both you and your students, and on those days, patience is the only way to make it work. Demonstrating patience with your students, loving children of God who are trying their best, and above all being patient with yourself is so important. Remind yourself that some days are just hard, and those days aren’t a reflection on you or your abilities. The Master Teacher, Jesus Christ, is our perfect example of patience. During his mortal ministry, he exemplified patience repeatedly with his disciples and other trials, however, his patience through the sufferings of his mock trials and his crucifixion is what I am constantly reminded of when I need to be a little more patient.
I have also learned the importance of being humble as an educator. Jesus Christ is our greatest example of humility. During His mortal ministry, He always acknowledged that His strength came because of His dependence on His Father. I too have learned that I constantly need the guidance of my Heavenly Father when making decisions in the classroom, especially in hard times when I am overwhelmed. I have also come to find that humility is being aware of my own faults and mistakes. Teachers are humans that are bound to make errors, and when we don’t have humility we often have clouded judgment that unfortunately hinders our student’s growth. Being a teacher is hard, however, learning from the Master Teacher how to be humble and patient goes a long way.
I am so grateful to have the opportunity to be here at BYU, where I can not only learn from my wonderful professors and peers, but the ultimate Master Teacher, Jesus Christ.
I am currently in my senior year and first practicum and would love to meet with you and answer any questions you may have, give you helpful tips, etc. As a first generation college student, I understand the challenges associated with being a student here and I would love to help out in any way I can. Please feel free to schedule an appointment here.