What advice would I share with a pre-service teacher considering a student teaching abroad experience?
Go.
I don’t care if you’re thinking about going to Germany, Norway, or China. My advice is the same. Just go.
I can’t put the experience into words, but I can promise you that it is the best decision that I made in college. You will learn who you are as a teacher, but you will learn even more about who you are as a person. You will be challenged, you will get lost, and you will have at least one hilarious experience because of the language barrier. You will teach, but you will learn more.
Take the chance and go.
Your experience will be different than mine. Everyone’s is. I can offer a few tips and suggestions based on my own experience though!
1. Keep a journal. Whether a personal journal or a blog, you will be glad you have it. It is impossible to make sense of every thing as it happens, but you will learn a lot about yourself through writing about your experiences.
2. If you have the option, live with a host family. You will learn so much more about the culture of the country this way. Some of my best memories come from sitting at the kitchen table talking to my host family for hours.
3. Likewise, make friends with Education students at the local university if you can. You will have rich discussions, amazing memories, and lifelong friends.
4. If the thing to do in your placement is stay out all night and eat a fish sandwich at 5:00 in the morning, do it. It’ll be one of your best memories.
5. You will usually be tired. Stay up to play Uno with your host family anyways. But don’t be afraid to take a nap when you need it.
6. Attitude is everything. Approach everything with a smile. You have no idea how much you will miss all the opportunities you have until it’s over.
7. Try the food. It’s an important part of the experience.
8. When packing, less is more. I PROMISE you don’t need those wedges. I speak from experience; lugging a 50 lb. suitcase up three flights of stairs at the train station is awful.
9. You will be challenged. Stay true to yourself, but try to understand others’ perspectives. No matter what the issue. You will grow so much as a person.
10. Ask questions! People appreciate you asking questions and trying to understand.
11. A compass is a lot more useful than you would think.
12. Language is not as big of a barrier as you think. Use animation, emotion, hand gestures, whatever you need to, and you can get your thoughts across!
Last but not least, in the words of one of my favorite Education professors at UNC, Dr. Cheryl Bolick: keep your teacher eyes open. I don’t think this even needs to be said. Teachers naturally live this way. Still, it is worth remembering. I became a better teacher by experiencing a classroom in another culture, and I became a better teacher by teaching lessons in a place that was outside my comfort zone. I grew the most as a teacher, however, just seeing new places, using a map, and experiencing life in other cultures. I kid you not when I say Gabrielle, Kelly, and I basically planned an entire interdisciplinary unit focused around a country/culture while hiking through Cinque Terre.
Go.
I don’t care if you’re thinking about going to Germany, Norway, or China. My advice is the same. Just go.
I can’t put the experience into words, but I can promise you that it is the best decision that I made in college. You will learn who you are as a teacher, but you will learn even more about who you are as a person. You will be challenged, you will get lost, and you will have at least one hilarious experience because of the language barrier. You will teach, but you will learn more.
Take the chance and go.
Your experience will be different than mine. Everyone’s is. I can offer a few tips and suggestions based on my own experience though!
1. Keep a journal. Whether a personal journal or a blog, you will be glad you have it. It is impossible to make sense of every thing as it happens, but you will learn a lot about yourself through writing about your experiences.
2. If you have the option, live with a host family. You will learn so much more about the culture of the country this way. Some of my best memories come from sitting at the kitchen table talking to my host family for hours.
3. Likewise, make friends with Education students at the local university if you can. You will have rich discussions, amazing memories, and lifelong friends.
4. If the thing to do in your placement is stay out all night and eat a fish sandwich at 5:00 in the morning, do it. It’ll be one of your best memories.
5. You will usually be tired. Stay up to play Uno with your host family anyways. But don’t be afraid to take a nap when you need it.
6. Attitude is everything. Approach everything with a smile. You have no idea how much you will miss all the opportunities you have until it’s over.
7. Try the food. It’s an important part of the experience.
8. When packing, less is more. I PROMISE you don’t need those wedges. I speak from experience; lugging a 50 lb. suitcase up three flights of stairs at the train station is awful.
9. You will be challenged. Stay true to yourself, but try to understand others’ perspectives. No matter what the issue. You will grow so much as a person.
10. Ask questions! People appreciate you asking questions and trying to understand.
11. A compass is a lot more useful than you would think.
12. Language is not as big of a barrier as you think. Use animation, emotion, hand gestures, whatever you need to, and you can get your thoughts across!
Last but not least, in the words of one of my favorite Education professors at UNC, Dr. Cheryl Bolick: keep your teacher eyes open. I don’t think this even needs to be said. Teachers naturally live this way. Still, it is worth remembering. I became a better teacher by experiencing a classroom in another culture, and I became a better teacher by teaching lessons in a place that was outside my comfort zone. I grew the most as a teacher, however, just seeing new places, using a map, and experiencing life in other cultures. I kid you not when I say Gabrielle, Kelly, and I basically planned an entire interdisciplinary unit focused around a country/culture while hiking through Cinque Terre.
My advice for anyone even slightly considering student teaching abroad?
Go.
Go.