The Sage's Library: Education Untold

Dive In!

From Candidate to Classroom: Beginning My LTO Journey

Becoming the teacher I was meant to be

This school year, well, semester, marked a professional shift I had long prepared for but could not fully anticipate: stepping into my first Long-Term Occasional role at Michael Power – St. Joseph High School. I had the dream job I’ve always wanted: Teaching English. The position I’ve always dreamed of having since watching Freedom Writers as a bright-eyed teenager. It was more than a milestone for me; it was an opportunity to bring a love for reading and discussing into my very own classroom!

For years, I studied pedagogy, curriculum policy, assessment theory, and instructional design. I made sure to read every article in my courses, think critically about what I read, and develop a love for UDL and backward design. I aligned lessons to overall expectations. I analyzed KTCA categories. I discussed differentiation and Universal Design in theory and justified the importance of creating an inclusive environment.

And yet, when I began my LTO, I felt profoundly different from what I expected.

I felt unprepared. SO unprepared!

Not because I lacked knowledge.
But no amount of coursework can fully simulate standing in your own classroom, responsible for everything.

If you are entering your first LTO and feel this way, that is normal. That is human. And that is part of becoming.

The Reality of Responsibility

The most significant shift was not teaching — I had done that before. It was knowing that every instructional decision, every assessment choice, every parent email, every report card comment, every classroom management moment rested fully with me.

There was no supervising teacher behind the scenes.

That weight can feel intimidating.

I questioned myself more in the first few weeks than I ever did in practicum:

  • Is this lesson strong enough?
  • Am I assessing this properly?
  • Did I scaffold enough?
  • Am I being too firm? Not firm enough?
  • Why did that discussion fall flat?

The transition from candidate to classroom teacher is not seamless. It is messy. It is humbling.

And it is necessary.

Jumping In Anyway

Despite feeling unprepared, I made a conscious decision:
I would jump in fully.

The best professional growth does not happen in observation mode. It happens in practice.

It happens when:

  • You design the unit yourself.
  • You misjudge timing and adjust.
  • You refine an assessment because the first version did not land.
  • You try a discussion structure that only partially works.
  • You reflect, revise, and try again.

Confidence did not come before action.
It followed it.

Experience is the teacher that coursework prepares you to meet, but cannot replace.

Listening More Than Talking

One of the most grounding realizations during this LTO has been this:

When in doubt, listen.

Listen to:

  • Your students.
  • Their energy.
  • Their confusion.
  • Their engagement patterns.
  • Your professional intuition.

There were lessons that looked strong on paper but needed adjustment once I saw students interacting with them. There were discussions I thought would soar, but they required restructuring. There were assumptions I had to let go of.

The more I listened, the stronger my teaching became.

And sometimes, your gut is sharper than your fear.

The Role of Community

Another truth: you do not do this alone.

Connecting with colleagues, asking questions, observing how others structure their classrooms, and being honest about uncertainty has been transformative.

There is a quiet myth that new teachers must appear fully composed at all times. In reality, growth accelerates when you admit what you do not yet know.

Professional confidence is built in a community. Community, at the end of the day, should be the main focus of the teacher’s life. Your classroom is where some students feel most welcomed, most heard, and most seen. Keep that in mind!

Growing Through Discomfort

Assessment design, curriculum alignment, and KTCA weighting have sharpened considerably during this term. But that sharpening came from discomfort.

The Ontario Achievement Chart now feels less abstract because I have had to defend my grades. I have had to justify category placement. I have had to explain evaluation decisions.

That level of accountability is formative.

Similarly, my classroom identity has strengthened because I had to establish it without leaning on someone else’s structure. Routine, tone, expectations, and culture had to be intentionally constructed.

And I did not always get it right on the first attempt.

But growth is iterative.

Beginning My AQ Courses

At the same time, beginning my Additional Qualification coursework has deepened this learning curve.

Studying theory while teaching full-time has revealed something important: the most meaningful professional development happens when theory meets real classroom tension.

Universal Design, differentiation, and equity are no longer abstract frameworks. They are daily decisions:

  • How do I provide multiple entry points to analysis?
  • How do I increase oral participation without penalizing introverted learners?
  • How do I ensure that Thinking and Application are assessed authentically?

AQ learning has not made teaching easier, and it has made it more intentional. I think AQs are not just for moving up the grid, but also for connecting with a diversity of new perspectives, readings, articles, and knowledge. You don’t have to apply everything, but at least apply one thing that resonated most.

What I Want New Teachers to Know

If you feel unprepared:

  • You are not alone.
  • You are not behind.
  • You are not incapable.

You are beginning.

There is no perfect moment where you suddenly “feel ready.” Readiness grows through experience, reflection, and resilience.

The best thing you can do is:

  • Jump in.
  • Stay reflective.
  • Seek community.
  • Listen carefully.
  • Trust your professional judgement.
  • And above all — listen to your students.

They will tell you more about your effectiveness than any textbook ever will.

A Professional Snapshot

Current Focus Areas:

  • Deepening analytical writing
  • Strengthening student-led discussion
  • Refining the KTCA balance in evaluation
  • Designing authentic culminating tasks

Instructional Goal:
To increase student voice while maintaining analytical rigour.

Personal Goal:
To remain reflective rather than reactive…especially when I feel uncertain. Mistakes are good! Let’s focus on how mistakes are the best teachers – period.

Moving Forward

Beginning my LTO at Michael Power has been both affirming and destabilizing — in the best way.

I am no longer preparing to teach.
I am teaching.

And I am still learning.

If this stage feels overwhelming to you, that may be evidence you care deeply about doing it well.

Lean into that.

Jump in.

Listen.

Adjust.

Grow.

And trust that experience will shape you in ways preparation alone never could.

Every teacher begins here…uncertain, reflective, and ready to step forward anyway.