Slan pobal na hÉireann!! (Goodbye to the people of Ireland)

Today is a sad but happy day as I sit down to write my last blog. I have endured so much over the past 2 and a half months that the reality has not yet sunk in that I must return to the United States and on to my second placement. I have really come to see Ireland as my home for the past 11 weeks and have made some amazing friendships! The atmosphere of the school this week has been one of eagerness and anticipation for the long Easter Holiday. I have had so many thoughts running through my mind because I do not want to leave the school nor Ireland for that matter without making sure that I have thanked everyone that has made my experience one I will never forget!
This week I have tried the most to look at myself in the classroom and try to dissect what I have learned from watching the teachers in Convent Primary and what I have adapted to my own teaching styles. I have realized first off that I have adapted my vocabulary to much of what is used throughout the school. Students no longer look at me and say I am from America. After 11 weeks I am seen not only by the teachers, but by the students as an equal. I also have seen my relationship with the students transform from someone who nobody listened to or saw as a teacher. This was a very hard image to break and once I got through to the students I was able to really bond with them. We began to grow together in learning new concepts and building relationships among each other. I was able to learn about the different needs of the students and was able to adapt my lessons in order to reach all learning abilities and styles. I was able to learn to trust myself and my abilities. In my past teaching practices I feel as through I never really thought of myself as an actual true teacher and gave myself the credit and affirmation of doing a good job. Through this experience I have really reflected and been able to say to myself that I did a great job teaching a lesson. I am the hardest on myself and up until this teaching experience have never fully given myself the satisfaction of doing a good job despite what other teachers may think. I also think that through this experience I have become very independent in my decision making processes as a teacher. I have learned all I can from my classes at St. Norbert College and am now doing my best to take what I have learned and apply it to the real thing. I feel that being at Convent Primary and away from everything I have known, has really taught me to think for myself and use my best judgment. There is no other way I would have wanted to learn this skill!
This experience has also taught me about what it means to work in a team and have a relationship with other colleagues. The staff at Convent Primary is absolutely wonderful. I have felt like an equal my entire stay in Ireland. My ideas, thoughts, and opinions have been equally acknowledged and I feel that I was very well respected by not only the teachers but students as well. The staff is so welcoming and genuinely interested in your life in and out of the school. I feel so blessed that I was able to meet these amazing women and begin a friendship that I hope lasts even when I have left Ireland.
I truly feel that I have had the chance to meet some of the nicest people in Ireland. I feel that with the laid back lifestyle and relaxed atmosphere all throughout Ireland, people are more likely to lend a hand and share a friendly gesture. I have done some traveling throughout Ireland and have felt more than welcome everywhere I have ventured. The people of Ireland are so genuine and charismatic. This statement is more than true when talking about my host family. They are the nicest family. I have always felt at home and will miss them very much!
I am looking forward to my second placement and being able to make connections and reflections based on what I have experienced in Ireland to the class I work with in Green Bay. I know that I will love both groups of students equally, but will have different experiences with both. I feel very lucky and fortunate to have been able to make my dreams of traveling abroad a reality through the teach abroad program. Despite the roller coaster of emotions I have felt during my 11 weeks in Ireland, I have seen myself grow and adapt to the person I want to be for the future.
I hope that through my many blog entries I was able to create a picture for everyone so that you could see the many memories I have been creating while being here. I will never forget this experience and I know that it is just the beginning to a wonder career filled with growth, change, and lifelong learning! I could not be happier that it was able to begin in the small town of Listowel, Ireland! In saying that I leave you to finish one journey and begin another. Slan!