Special Education Practicum: What Surprised Me Most

Sarah Wilde

McKay Student Ambassador

Special Education (Severe/Profound Disabilities Emphasis)

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Practicum has been one of the best, yet most challenging things I have done during my time at BYU! I have learned a lot during this time, some of which surprised me! Here are some of my key takeaways.

Lesson Plans

When I started, I didn't realize that so many of the lessons I would teach would be written by me! I thought I would be teaching lessons that my mentor teacher had already planned. Instead, I get the opportunity to experience the whole process. I get to identify an educational need, write a lesson plan for it, and then teach the lesson! I have enjoyed seeing the whole process and participating in all the steps.

Flexibility

While we learn about the ideal situations in our classrooms, the ideal rarely ever happens! As a teacher, you have to always be ready to change your plan. Whether someone is ill, you had a bad day, another class needs help, or whatever happens, you always have to be ready to adapt. Situations have arisen in the practicum settings that I would have never thought of! We've had a neighboring teacher end up in the hospital with sepsis for months on end, we've had toilets overflow, and we've had substitute drama. I've learned to be prepared for the unexpected!

Teams

I never realized how much teamwork and group collaboration there is in teaching! I have a whole class dedicated to it this semester! As a special educator, I will have paras in my classroom, IEP teams to plan with, other school personnel to schedule with, and so many other people! Sometimes it feels like the only people you talk to are your students, but I found that far from the truth! There are so many people involved in a child's education.

Support Systems

As a practicum student, I didn't expect to get thrown into so much. The mental load of practicum can be taxing. You get illnesses from the kids, you have a bunch of assignments, you care about the growth of the students more than you can comprehend, and you're also trying to live the college life, be active in your ward, and be with your friends and family. It is a lot! I have found great strength in my support system. I have 20 best friends in my cohort who are going through the same things, professors are there to help me with everything, a family who wants the best for me, and friends to lean on. Taking care of yourself and finding people to draw strength from is so important, and I can only imagine that it gets more important when you start teaching in your own classroom.

I have loved practicum so far. It has given me a chance to work with so many students, learn from so many teachers, and get experiences in different types of schools. It has been difficult, but it has been so worth it, and I cannot wait to begin student teaching and start my career.

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