I have a personal belief that to grow, feedback is required. As we have learned, feedback is a vital factor in educational growth. As a teacher candidate who just completed her first teaching practicum, I could not help but reminisce about my days as an elementary school student. Specifically, during presentations, we were asked to reflect. One method in particular that always stuck out to me was listing one star and one wish. The star represented what we enjoyed most, something that stood out to us positively. The wish expressed our feedback, something that we wished to have happened. During my last week of practicum, I could not stop thinking about the one-star and one wish, so I decided to adapt it to fit my needs. On my last day, I handed a one-star and one wish sheet to each of my grade ones and asked them to provide me feedback about the three weeks we spent together. I will admit, I was both nervous and terrified to see how my students felt about me. Often many fear feedback, and I was no exception. Many teachers know that six-year-olds are brutally honest and have no problem saying exactly what is on their minds. Regardless, I knew that this was something I wanted and needed. After explaining the purpose of the activity, I opened the floor for some brainstorming. Collectively the ideas were written on the board, and I allowed the students to write. It was difficult not to sneak a peak. However, I knew that I had to wait till the end of the day to see how I did in the eyes of these six-year-old students.
When it was finally time to read through the big purple stack of papers, I could feel my heart racing. Yes, I did invite the students, to be honest, but the idea of being judged by six-year-olds did seem terrifying. I quickly ripped the bandage off and was greeted by such sweet feedback. So many of the students came to the same consensus that they enjoyed the math and science lessons. Jelly beans were a major highlight of my three-week stint in the classroom. Even though I received plenty of positive feedback that I made traditional subjects more fun, I was happy to see that some students reflected enough to provide me with some constructive feedback. One student wrote that he wished I spoke slower. This feedback was often on my mind, reaffirming that I need to be mindful of this. Others wished that more art was taught throughout the three weeks. I had no idea they enjoyed painting that much. In the end, I learned that this activity benefited my educational journey. It allowed me to understand the thought process of my students. As a teacher candidate, I realised that feedback from my students and mentor teacher is equally valuable and will make me the best teacher.
