Why?

I have been lucky enough to have been given the opportunity to complete one of my student teaching placements in New Zealand. More specifically at Swanson Primary School near Auckland. There are so many things that I am looking forward to and there are so many reasons why I have decided to go. First and foremost, I hope to experience things that will not only change me as a person and my perspectives on life, but also change me as a teacher. There is so much to learn about teaching. More than I can ever learn in one place. I truly hope this experience will make me a better teacher by exposing me to a whole new way of learning. New Zealand's literacy education is one of the best in the world's and there is just so much to learn about that. But beyond their knowledge of quality literacy instruction, gaining new perspectives of all areas of education gives me a better opportunity to develop my own philosophy of teaching. There are just so many things in the classroom that could function differently in New Zealand than in America and I'm so interested in finding out what works better than what I've learned. In addition to that, it will be fascinating to find out what educational values they have in comparison to America and in comparison to the values that have been introduced to me throughout my teacher education.


Apart from what I hope to gain from my experiences in a New Zealand school, I hope to become more of a global person. I am very interested in learning about other cultures and how they live compared to the life I have grown so accustomed to. I want to gain a global perspective on life.


I'm very excited to create new relationships. And not only between me and all the wonderful people I'm sure to meet. I would love to create relationships between my students in New Zealand and my students back home at Cormier School. The things that both groups will gain by communicating with a classroom halfway around the world are so exciting! 


Overall, I'm excited to push my comfort zone because generally its the experiences in which you are most nervous about and scared for are the ones that are most worthwhile.