Practice makes perfect. After seeing the first-week students present their lesson plans, I felt inspired to refine my own slides. Their slides were creative, from topics to the slide designs. It made me realize how passionate I am about teaching and the challenges associated with public speaking. To prepare my material, I recorded daily vlogs and shared them with my best friend for feedback (although they were too busy to respond, it helped sharing them with someone). There were moments of anxiety before presenting, but after discussing my feelings with my professor and peers, I recognized that this was the most impactful part of the semester. They reassured me that it didn’t have to be perfect and that we were all there to support one another.
As I began my presentation, the stress eased away. I was in my element. My peers participated actively, and I found that the Socratic method effectively kept students engaged. Encouraging participation by asking questions helped them explore what they knew and didn't know. However, I was conscious of the time and felt I had over-prepared my material. Reflecting on my lesson, I realized I needed to cut and edit certain parts and pace myself better. I often felt like I was rambling. Additionally, silence makes me anxious; I can sense every moment of quiet after asking a question if no students respond. This is an area I want to improve internally.
Afterward, receiving private feedback from my classmates reassured me that I had done some things right, which helped alleviate my tendency to overthink my mistakes. Reading my professor's feedback also highlighted the positives and the areas for improvement. I learned that small victories lead to larger successes, and this experience felt like a significant milestone for me.
