When people think of teachers, the term ‘mistake’ probably isn’t the first one that pops in your head. As a child myself, I thought it was impossible for teachers to make mistakes, because mistakes are bad and should not happen. However, I learned that is not an accurate way of thinking, and it was proven to me once again by a teacher; this teacher was myself.
When I was heading into the classroom on Tuesday, I volunteered to do read aloud with the children. I didn’t know how long I would have to read, what I was reading, or anything besides the fact that I was reading. Regardless, I am a solid reader, so I did not forsee any issues or mistakes that I would make, at least not in the literary sense. I was wrong.
Sarah Parks decided on the book The Mouse and The Motorcycle. As soon as I opened the book, just flipping through, I saw a couple words I didn’t know. As I was reading through the book, once I got to those words, I hesitated before butchering the pronunciations. It was then that I realized that children may think that I wasn’t a good teacher because I made mistakes. However, the kids were more distracted by my pause than by my lack of vocabulary, and I don’t think any of them realized or cared that I didn’t know the words; they were just happy to be read to.
I think some of the best lessons in life are ones that aren’t taught or planned; they simply happen, whether we expect them to or not, and the results frequently shock us, yet we continue to be surprised by these random lessons. The lesson I took away from practicum this week is to wait to judge peoples’ reactions until after they react. Such as, I was wholeheartedly expecting the children to laugh or snicker when I said the words wrong, but instead they simply looked at me with curiosity about what was going to happen next. I judged their reaction before I even gave them a chance to react.
In the future, I know that this lesson will help me be more confident in myself. Even if the kids do laugh or snicker, I now have the knowledge that it is okay for teachers to make mistakes. All humans make mistakes and teachers, just like everyone else, are simply human.
Rachel's Observations of CSSC 
I remember thinking that as a child too! I love what you had to say and it so important. I have seen teachers in the Elementary class when they make a mistake, for example reprimanding a child when they weren’t the one causing trouble, they go to that student and apologize which I love. I don’t see teachers apologize very often.
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Rachel,
I LOVED your post! I think that everyone just needs a little reminder that we are all humans, and humans make mistakes! You are so right about not judging people before their reactions. We may think little of ourselves in certain situations, but that doesn’t mean that everyone does! Especially humans who look up to us!
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Oh Rachel, thank you so much for reading aloud to the class. You were so bold to do this, with very little notice or plan. Thank you for being willing to just jump in! It seems like you learned more from this experience than you thought. I make so many mistakes in front of my students every single day. And that’s really important. It’s important for the students to see us learning alongside them. It’s important for the students to see us fail and try again. I’m so proud of you for taking a risk and being so open about what you learn from it. You are right that the kids are much more forgiving then we might give them credit for. I do hope you’ll read again!
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