By Annabelle McIntosh – Opinions Editor 

Monday, Jan. 8 marked the beginning of the 12-week practicum for final-year students in the School of Education. In this placement, student teachers tackle 80 percent of a teaching course load. Students anxiously awaited their assignments at the beginning of the semester and received them in late October. Upon receiving the email, I realized that my practicum assignment would require me to relocate. My placement is about two and a half hours away from Bishop’s, however, it is only an hour from my hometown. I was bummed at first to be moving away from beloved Lennoxville, but once the stress of moving my belongings back into my childhood bedroom had passed, I could start embracing this change and began to feel excited for this new chapter. 

I have absolutely fallen in love with my placement. Walking into the school every day and being greeted by friendly staff and students has made the long commute worth it. The school has an incredibly welcoming environment, and I feel so grateful. I have also been paired with an excellent associate teacher, making my transition as smooth as possible. There are many different ways to become involved with school life such as through clubs and intramurals. It is truly a great place to continue my learning journey. 

This change has also gotten me out of my comfort zone. It can be difficult to arrive in a place that you are unfamiliar with since so much is unknown. This felt especially true as I had stayed in Lennoxville while completing previous placements. 

This is also the first time I have been at a practicum where I did not know anybody, as I am the only student teacher in the school. Since this is the case, I have gotten out of my shell a bit more and have been making connections with people other than my fellow BU student teachers – something that would have been more challenging in the past. 

As much as I miss being on our beautiful campus and seeing my friends, I believe that this has worked out very well so far. My best advice to anyone in the future who may be placed in a brand new, distant location for practicum, is to just give it a chance and go into it with an open mind. It could be an incredible experience with great opportunities to offer.