Hello! My name is Michael Saunderson. Becoming an educator has been a dream of mine for a long time now, and I am excited to document here some of my process of achieving this goal of mine. I got my first taste of teaching in high school as a peer tutor in a drama eight class. The shift in the students’ attitudes towards attending class, from begrudgingly attending a class to being excited to come to class and participate in the course, was such a positive experience for me and was what first inspired me to become an educator myself so that I can foster communities of learning that have students itching to attend class and participate in learning. Later, I had the opportunity to work as a teaching assistant in a university course. As I worked with students who needed assistance with the course content, I found the process of moving from frustration and confusion to understanding and eagerness to continue learning more to be one of the most rewarding experiences for me as an educator.
Whilst I have had amazing experiences as both a learner and an educator, I have also had my share of hardship as a learner in the classroom. As a young teen, I had an experience where students were made to feel as if we were given up on because we were unable to grasp a skill being taught on the first try. This instilled in me a desire to become an educator in a different way than my previous examples. This experience made me want to allow students to feel that it was okay to fail when learning new things as they would have their teacher there to support them in these sometimes unavoidable parts of learning. I find this attitude towards teaching and learning best articulated in a fantasy book series I read called Tongari Boushi no Atelier written by Kamome Shirahama.
“Everyone’s unsteady when first using a new tool. Just as a newborn foal falters as it learns to stand. Soon you’ll be full of confidence, bounding as you please”
Kamome Shirahama