I spent a few years teaching in the Initial Teacher Education Program (ITEP) at OISE/UT. It never failed that, despite the almost universal sense of anxiety that preceded students' first practicuum experiences, there was always a resounding feeling of loss on the part of the candidates when they returned to the University to carry on with their coursework.
During the two- or three-week in-class experience they had forged relationships and connections with staff members, with students and with the community. Most returned having left a little of their teaching selves behind. As instructor, I was more than a little offended when candidates returned the first couple of times and openly declared their desire to be back in their school, claiming that they had learned so much more there than they were learning in the psychology or methods courses at the University. As my three year assignment progressed, however, I learned...
