Six years ago, I embarked on the adventure of a lifetime. After years of dreaming, months of planning, weeks of packing, and days of flying, I set foot into the great unknown: Australia. It was my first real flight (and a hell of a flight at that— 16 hours across the Pacific), first time living on my own without the support of family or friends, first time alone in a foreign country and far from home, first time for a lot of things. But more than that, it was the first time I truly and willingly stepped out of my comfort zone in a way that I hadn’t before. Where I was already content and comfortable in college, I’d made the decision to go further— to do the uncomfortable thing, the thing that terrified me— and turned it into an opportunity for me to grow and prosper. I learned new things, traversed new lands, had wild and incredible experiences that shaped me both good and bad. I undertook a journey that brought me one step closer to my destiny. I didn’t just discover a new world— I discovered myself, or at least, some small part of it.
(Check out the travel pages for more cool stuff and photos from the trip!)
Stepping out of your comfort zone is hard. It took me years to do so after losing my mother. And it’s especially difficult to do so when you enter into the unknown from a place you love and cherish. And yet, doing so yields some of the greatest rewards. Leaving home to go to college. Travelling to the other side of the world. Stepping into the world of teaching preschool. Finding incredible friendships with incredible people. And now, within the past couple of weeks, a brand new leap: student teaching.
Lifting Anchor
Preparing for student teaching was hardly an easy task. To start, the months prior presented one final semester of classes to push through before even making it to student teaching, and along with it, a lot to keep me busy. Classes you push yourself through as you stress to maintain a 4.0 GPA. A massive research project with hours studying, gathering data, and writing up results. Lesson plans a plenty, a variety of certification tests, fine tuning your resume, and workshops and seminars with all sorts of information thrown at you as you try to tie up all the loose ends. To say the end of 2023 was busy is an understatement: I put more work into this semester than any semester since my undergrad thesis on Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution (which was just as exciting as it sounds). All that said, I worked hard, carried the burdens of my last real semester well, and in the end prepared myself well for everything to come.
Of course, being physically ready for a challenge is only one small part of it. While all the pieces came into play to get me situated for student teaching, there was still a great deal of doubt as to how I’d handle it all. First, I wasn’t sure until about two days before the deadline where I’d even be going to student teach. Naturally, I wanted to do it at my old hometown school. After all, that’s where I was comfortable. That’s where I went, where I’ve always seen myself, heck, where my mom taught. But overtime, I recognized that a greater opportunity was out there. I’d learn more going out of my comfort zone, get to experience new places, new mentors, new methods of learning. Ultimately, I accepted the challenge and knew that, wherever God put me would be right for me.
There was certainly still fear. There always is. Fear of how I’ll do when thrown in a new classroom and a new grade. Fear of messing up. Fear of not working for several months, and frantically trying to budget and save. And with all that, there’s the feelings that come from leaving a job you’ve become comfortable at for five years. When I started teaching preschool, I had no idea what it would entail or how it would change my life. I taught lessons from Dr. Seuss and rhyming, to calming from meltdowns and whining. I’ve made friendships with incredible people and taught incredible kids. I built rocket ships, played thrilling games of sharks and minnows, healed boo-boos, sang Holiday Concerts, and so much more. I discovered a calling and passion for teaching. Giving that up, following a path you know you’re meant to be on while saying goodbye to a job and place you love… is difficult (so much so, I was back all of break. But hey, the extra money doesn’t hurt).
But aside from fear, or worry, or a bittersweet goodbye from a place you’ve known for five years… there is something else: hope. Hope that you can make the most of a new opportunity. Excitement as you embark on a new adventure. Confidence that you can and will succeed. A belief that, whatever comes your way, you’ll learn from it, make the most of it, and cherish it as you do any new opportunity.
The Wind and Waves of Fourth Grade
And so, intermixed angst and peace came together as I set foot in Albany and into the world of fourth grade. I had met my co-operating teacher before— one my previous professors, who had eagerly agreed to take me on— as well as the kids, so I luckily wasn’t stepping in completely blind. Of course, fourth graders are very much different from preschoolers in a lot of ways— much more independent, much less germy, and thankfully, all potty trained (something I don’t miss from preschool). But in many ways, kids are kids regardless of whether they’re four or in fourth grade. There’s the sweet ones that make your day. The stubborn ones that require extra motivation. There’s kids that test your patience, kids that are jumping to answer every question, kids eager to please the teacher and the kids eager to entertain each other. They like to play, they can be loud, they can be either really motivated or really not, and notably, they need a teacher that can both care for them and put up with their shenanigans.
In all, teaching fourth grade uses a lot of the same principles as preschool— though certainly applied differently—, and I think overall, I adapted surprisingly quickly to the challenge. Almost immediately, I started taking on leading reading groups; shortly after that, managing transitions to and from lunch, gym, and other specials. Soon enough, I started grading exams, helping students edit writing pieces, and most exciting, crafting and implementing my own Social Studies lessons, learning all about geography and Native Americans. In six weeks, I made the transition from new kid on the block to a confident and capable (for the most part, I think) teacher.
To go into an unfamiliar school, with unfamiliar kids, and doing an unfamiliar thing such as taking over a classroom in six weeks is taunting. But somehow, in just over a month, I’ve come to not only to become more comfortable in this new position and setting, but really enjoy it. My co-operating teaching is incredible, to say the least, immediately making me feel at home and pushing me to step out and learn and do as much as I can. The opportunity to learn from an experienced teacher who cares so much and pushes for the best in both students and student teachers is something I’m extremely thankful for, and I can’t emphasize enough how much it means to have a mentor and friend that willingly took me on and supported me every step of the way. Then, of course, there’s the kids. I’ve come to get to know each of them in a special way, building a bond and respect that I’ve cherished immensely. I’ve come to love the school and community, and even as a short-term student teacher, made felt at home.
There’s much to learn, naturally, and much still to perfect. I’m still learning my fair share about classroom management and behavior. I’ve dipped my toes into trying to learn Spanish so that I can communicate better with my English Language Learners. I’ve only begun to navigate the complex waters of diverse family backgrounds and home life situations. But the most important lesson, and perhaps the broadest, is that these kids need someone to care. Whether going the extra step to try and learn a new language, comforting a student going through difficulties at home, doing a silly push up challenge after a lesson with a group of kids… all of that is to show that you’re there for them. It’s one thing to teach about the message of a story or the location of different tribes on a map, but going in every day with the determination to make the world better for at least one child… that trumps over any curriculum in my book.
The Lighthouse
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you... Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you..." -Isaiah 43:2,4
Shortly before my trip to Australia, I'd largely given up on my goal of teaching. It was a daunting task, one that I was unsure of and not knowing whether I had the capability or right motivations for teaching. I had thought, at the time, by taking a leap into the unknown, doing something so drastic and so big as travelling to Australia, I'd find my destiny. I'd go where I was meant to, do what I was meant to, find my purpose in some way. And I did. But not just there. Every step since— college, preschool, grad school, friendships,— was some small part of me approaching whatever goal has been laid out for me. And now, the next big step, I'm doing the same thing again. I get to be a light for others. I get to enjoy incredible experiences. I get to cherish new relationships, explore new worlds, and find myself one step closer to my destiny.
My time student teaching has been eye opening and incredible in all the best ways. Now, I’ve only got two weeks left to go with fourth grade before moving on to first grade at a new school. My solo week upcoming (which I almost certainly should be planning for right now instead of writing this), I feel prepared and confident as if I’d been teaching fourth grade for much more than several weeks. Honestly, I don’t want it to end.
But I will say, for all this opportunity has been for me, it almost never happened. If I didn’t take the step, if I didn’t dare to go out of my comfort zone and embark on this adventure, I wouldn’t have had the incredible experience I’ve had. I wouldn’t have learned nearly as much, wouldn’t have the guidance I value so much, wouldn’t have gotten to impact the lives I have if I didn’t take the leap.
Whether travelling to the other end of the world, or embarking on a new adventure as you approach the end of your college career, be okay with stepping out of your comfort zone. Do the thing that scares you. Be bold, be confident. Accept whatever opportunities come to you and know that wherever you go, you are not alone.
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