The most horror day came. Can I skip this one?
Two weeks had been done, after a week doing observations I finally experienced how to become a real teacher whose standing in front of class and became students’ attention center. I had taught 8 classes with 2 sections for every class just in a week. On the third week, the learning activity was just on Monday, August 20 because it was actually the midterm week and that was become my last day on teaching before facing the horror phase, FINAL DEMO! How could I deny the high pressure that came on my mind when I imagined about what that day would like to be? It would become the day of judgement, we would be observed and evaluated by supervisors from university and school. How could you imagine you will be witnessed by 6 observers when you were teaching? Some questions fuilfilled my mind, "Will I be able to speak clearly in front of them with a nervous feeling? ", "How can I control my nervous feeling?" Hm, I didn’t know actually. Once that I always hold on was, results will never betray the process we did. So, if I tried my best, I worked hard on my way then I believed that everything was going to be okay.
I spent the days left to prepare all the things that I will need in my final teaching demonstration. Firstly, I chose what topics that I would like to teach based on the choices that given by my cooperating teacher (adjusted to the topics after midterm), I chose collision topic. Then, I and my cooperating teacher discussed how the learning process will run based on the topic I’ve chosen. I told her my ideas that I was going to use a Phet simulation app and a worksheet in conducting the learning process and she also gave me some suggestions such as doing a game in reviewing students’ knowledges about the last topic that related to the collision and asking them to do a demonstration about collision. After that, she asked me starting to do my lesson plan then she will check it. I tried to finish it fast completing with the worksheet and then sent it to her e-mail so she can check it earlier. After finishing it, I started to work on another stuffs. I bought some cartolina papers and strings in National Bookstore, it will become my material to make the learning media that students will use in demonstration.
Preparations before final teaching demo
After all the requirements were done, I simulated my final demonstration in two class (STEM 4 and STEM 6) before doing it in real, Ms.Quimson evaluated my performances and then gave me some suggestions. Because of the time wasn’t enough, so I deleted some parts from my lesson plan, revised the worksheet, and also made other learning tool such as by drawing some big tables on cartolina papers (this was the new idea from Ms.Quimson after evaluating my performances). I did it with patience and a big hope that those works will be paid off at the end. Spending nights to finish all the stuffs and prepared myself mentally. I knew it would become a hard day, but I also knew that I can pass it! Yes, trying to motivate myself.
Thursday, August 30 was coming. Becoming the horror day for the three of us, final demonstration was ahead! I prayed to the God, I motivated myself, tried to be calm down. Yes, I know I can and I know God always be on my side.
Everything is going to be okay, I said.
After arriving at school, I met with Ms.Quimson in the 3rd floor of Nursing Building where the STEM 7 was located. She told me the day before that I will going to teach one class before my final demonstration, it was on the second section STEM 8. But before that, I had to go to STEM 2 (my class for final demo) to give the students there the installer of Phet simulation application, hope that it will be worked on their laptop, that’s my life by the way. After making sure that it can be worked, I back to Ms.Quimson. It was my time to teach in STEM 8. During the lesson, I simulated my final demonstration on them while Ms.Quimson counting on the time to make sure all of the parts were finished on time since time management will be one of the evaluation from supervisor, of course. After finishing the section in STEM 8, I took a rest in laboratory. Ms.Quimson always tries to motivate me at the time. While I was afraid that time will be the big problem then, she told me to be optimistic, she trusted on me. Therefore, I also trusted in myself, didn’t want to make her and everyone disappointed.
I had come this far, I have to finish the rest.
The clock showed 1.00 p.m, I had to go to the 6th floor soon to fix all soon before my final demo started. I gave the instructions to STEM 2 students to prepare themselves with the laptop and the app that I had given. Making sure that all of the tools worked well. One by one of the supervisors came to the class and took their seats on the back. I was trying to control my feeling, I knew I got nervous but once again I knew everything was going to be okay. Started to open the learning process and tried to enjoy every single part of it. I taught based on what I already prepared, using a game in motivational activity, the demonstration and Phet simulation in main activity, and doing the evaluation part at the end. I didn’t imagine before that STEM 2 would be this cooperative, they performed actively during the lesson. When I asked them, they gave me answers even some of them were wrong, but I knew they did very good:) Yes, as what I didn’t expect before, I actually can finish the lesson before 75 minutes. OMG, how can? It’s all happened out of my expectations, I didn’t know what, it just flow until I closed the meeting then Dr.Stephen and other supervisors congratulated me. He said I did great and he was impressed, ah really? He also said that I didn’t look like I was nervous. Oh sir, you just don’t know how hard I controlled this nervous feeling, but yes I won from that ha ha ha. How happy I was when I realized that I made everyone happy, I didn’t fail! Especially when I saw Ms.Quimson smiling at me and said, "Congratulation, Yola. You finished it on time. I’m proud of you". Huh, I was touched, "I proud more of you, Mam", my little heart said. It means I didn’t make her disappointed. All of our hard works were paid off!!!
Once again I prove the words, "Results will never betray the process". Thank to God, I knew I will never be on that situation if it’s not by Him :)