Looking back on the past year, I cannot imagine what my student teaching experience would have been like without the Pekin Professional Development School.  I am grateful for having had the opportunity to participate in this program and feel I have benefited greatly from it.  Spending a year in the PDS program has prepared me for my own classroom and has taught me that persistence pays off. 

Throughout this year I have grown tremendously as an educator.  When the PDS program began in August, I was an inexperienced senior in college.  Now as I am preparing to graduate in a few days, I feel confident that I can successfully create a positive learning environment in my own classroom.  I believe that I have grown as much as I have because the PDS program allowed me to spend almost four times as much time in the classroom as traditional student teaching does.  It was great to see the students in my class grow from the beginning of the year to the end.  I enjoyed growing and learning with them.  Being involved in the classroom since August, will also be beneficial to me as a new teacher this fall;  I will be able to concentrate on my students, helping them make the transition into a new school year, instead of worrying about my transition as a new teacher.

I could not have become the educator I am today without the encouragement and support of my mentors and liaisons.  They have helped me through this year, always offering advice and support when needed.  I am looking forward to continuing my professional career where I hope to instill the same enthusiasm for learning that was modeled for me.  I believe that everything happens for a reason and from this experience I will use the knowledge and skills that I have gained wherever my career takes me.