Moynihan 1

Final Teacher Preparation Reflection

Teacher Candidate: Fiona Moynihan

The last year and a half was nothing like what I anticipated my teacher preparation

program experience to be when I applied to the Special Education program in my Sophomore

year. Due to Covid-19, I spent the majority of my time in the program learning remotely.

Although this experience presented immense challenges to teaching, this period afforded me

incredibly unique training that forced me to develop my creative thinking skills and my abilities

to modify instruction within a matter of seconds. Not only am I familiar with excellent virtual

instruction platforms like Kami, Seesaw, Happy Numbers, Lalilo, and Epic Books, but I also

know how to develop materials online that will help students engage in instruction with a higher

level of interest. I have become adept at including GIFs and music to make slideshows more

engaging. I know how to use platforms like Google Jamboard to encourage peer interaction. I

have been forced to develop technology skills previously unnecessary but have ultimately

benefitted student engagement and performance.

Covid-19 was horrible for so many, but teachers did not shy away from the challenge of

educating and supporting students emotionally through the traumatic experience. I am grateful to

have worked with educators who worked tirelessly to ensure that their students received the

services they required to reach their academic goals. I was given marvelous models on how to

guide students through a time that can be challenging to comprehend. I am leaving my teacher

preparation with the knowledge I never imagined possible and mentors that will always inspire

me. I am confident that learning to teach in a pandemic has prepared me for navigating Special

Education instruction in a way I would not have been under traditional circumstances. I am

choosing to see the positive and move forward focusing on what was added to my preparation

rather than taken away.