Practicum mostly just made my beliefs feel more real. I still strongly believe in structure with flexibility, but I learned that structure does not mean a perfectly quiet or perfectly organized classroom all the time. Our classroom was messy sometimes, loud sometimes, and constantly changing because we were such a hands-on class, but students always knew the expectations, the routine, and what was coming next. That consistency mattered way more than everything looking perfect.

Relationships also became way more important to me than I expected. Students can be frustrated with you one second and then two minutes later want to tell you a story or show you their work. I learned really quickly that you cannot hold onto every bad moment with students. You have to reset, too. I think students can tell when teachers genuinely care about them and when expectations are coming from support instead of punishment.

I also realized how much teaching depends on reflection and risk-taking. Some lessons worked great, some completely flopped, and most needed changes halfway through. One of my favourite experiences came from taking a risk and trying a huge plant-growing project that honestly felt overwhelming at first. It ended up connecting science, math, French, and social studies, and the students absolutely loved it. That experience reminded me that some of the best learning happens when teachers are willing to try things too, even if they are not completely sure how it will go.