Reflecting on My Role During Teaching Practice

Looking back honestly at my Teaching Practice (TP) experience, I can see that I was not always playing the right role in children's play. Most of the time, I was acting as a director controlling the play, telling children what to do, and deciding how things should go. I thought I was helping, but in reality, I was taking away their freedom to explore and make choices. Play that is fully controlled by the teacher is no longer really play, it becomes another form of instruction.

At other times, I was uninvolved. I would hand out materials and then step back, leaving children to play without any guidance or attention. I thought I was giving them freedom, but I was just being absent. I was not observing, not listening, and not learning anything about what the children were thinking or feeling. This was a missed opportunity.

These two extremes, controlling too much or being completely hands-off,  are both problematic. Neither approach truly supports children's learning and development.

Now, after learning about the different roles a teacher can take, I want to do better. My goal is to move through roles more thoughtfully and intentionally.

I want to start as a stage manager where i will be preparing the environment carefully so that children have the space, materials, and conditions they need to play well. Then, when appropriate, I want to demonstrate the play so children understand what is possible without feeling told what to do. From there, I want to step in as a co-player joining the play as a partner, not a boss, so children feel supported rather than supervised.

Most importantly, I want to become a conversationalist where i will be asking children about their play, listening to their ideas, and showing genuine curiosity about what they are creating and thinking. This is where the real learning happens, for both the child and the teacher.

This shift will not be easy as old habits are hard to break, especially when classrooms are busy and time feels short. But I now understand that the role I play in children's play matters deeply. A teacher who controls everything stunts growth. A teacher who disappears fails to support it. What children need is a teacher who is present, flexible, and genuinely interested in their world.