Personal Reflection 1

Tan Phuong

INTRODUCTION

My practicum at the Vietnam Học viện Hải quân was not something I expected to change me. But it did. I went there as a student leader for 41 classmates, a member of Group 2B, and a teacher who had never stood in front of naval cadets before. I observed a speaking class, taught a short vocabulary lesson, helped organize the GALA night, and gave a thank‑you speech that came straight from my heart. None of this was easy. Leading a large group, teaching in a strict military environment, and managing logistics all pushed me far outside my comfort zone. But looking back, those struggles were exactly what I needed. This reflection is not about showing off what I did. It is about being honest about what I learned, what I still cannot do well, and how this trip quietly changed the way I see teaching and myself.

PROFESSIONAL SKILLS I HAVE LEARNT FROM THE PRACTICUM

My practicum at the Học viện Hải quân taught me many things, but the skills I gained can be grouped into five areas. Let me start with analytical and assessment skills. Observing my Group 2B teammates during our micro‑teaching at the Học viện Hải quân (classes KH41A & KH41B) sharpened my analytical skills. Each member delivered a segment of our 90‑minute lesson “Speaking: Describe Your Favourite Subject,” and watching them in action helped me understand not just what worked, but why. Ms. Giang My kicked off the warm‑up with a simple but clever game: she showed three pictures and asked the cadets to guess the subject. She also had little strips of paper with hints, just in case anyone got stuck. What really struck me was her energy – she almost shouted: “Ready? 3, 2, 1… go!” It didn't feel like a classroom drill; it felt like a game. That kind of energy made the cadets relax and actually want to speak. I learned that a good warm‑up isn't just about words,  it's about making people feel safe and excited. Then it was Ms. Hương's turn. She taught us some useful phrases for talking about your favourite subject, that’s how to introduce it, give reasons, compare it to others. But she didn't just list them on the board. She grouped them into three clear categories, explained each one, and then immediately had the cadets practise. The thing I loved most was how naturally she used little words like "uhm", "I see", "really?", those tiny back‑channeling sounds turned a mechanical exercise into a real conversation. I realised that teaching doesn't always need big techniques; sometimes it's the small human touches that matter. Mr. Dũng came next, and he impressed me with how carefully he designed his part. He showed the cadets an IELTS‑style cue card, played a model answer, and then guided them to find the five key parts: what subject, when you started, what you do in it, what knowledge you get, and why you like it. He didn't just want them to memorise one answer. Instead, he gave them a set of phrases that could be reused for any subject. That really opened my eyes. Good teaching is not about giving the right answer; it's about giving students something they can use again and again. Finally, Ms. Tâm Anh ran a whole‑class survey. Honestly, I was a bit worried – a survey with 12 cadets could easily become chaos. But she turned it into a mission called “Find Your Subject Twin”, with clear rules, points, and a time limit. She even told a little story to set the scene, demonstrated with two students right there, and then walked around saying things like “Keep moving! Have you talked to everyone yet?” It was lively but never out of control. I learned from her that managing a large class isn't about being strict – it's about designing an activity that runs itself, so students feel the energy but also know exactly what to do. But honestly, watching all of this unfold also taught me something uncomfortable but necessary. Our lesson plan had a clear schedule - each of us knew exactly how many minutes we had. But when we actually taught, things didn't go as planned. Some of us ran a bit over. Nothing dramatic, just a minute here, a minute there - because a cadet needed extra help, or an activity took longer than we thought, or the class just naturally moved at its own pace. The problem was, those extra minutes added up. By the time we got to Ms. Tâm Anh (the last person),  she had to rush. I saw her face tighten and she quietly skipped a small activity to finish on time. She handled it so professionally, but I couldn't help feeling bad. She was the one who paid for all our little delays. That moment really stuck with me. I realised that going over time isn't just my own mistake. It's a mistake I make for the whole team. The person standing at the end  - the one who has done nothing wrong - is the one who suffers most. So now I think about teaching differently. It's not just me and my students. When I teach with others, my time is not really my own. It belongs to the team. If I take an extra minute, I'm stealing it from the person after me. That's not professional. Looking back at everything I saw that day, Ms. Giáng My's energy, Ms. Hương's clarity, Mr. Dũng's thoughtful design, and Ms. Tâm Anh's brilliant crowd management, I learned that great teaching isn't just about clever techniques. It's about engagement, clarity, good planning, and making activities run themselves. But I also learned that when you teach as a team, respect means keeping to your time. That's not being strict; that's caring for your teammates. I want to be a teacher educator one day, and I know now that I need to notice not just who teaches well, but who supports the group quietly and who takes responsibility for the shared rhythm of the lesson. That's the kind of mentor I hope to become.

Moving on to planning skills. Planning was everywhere during this practicum, and as the student leader, I had my hands in most of it. The biggest piece was the successful field trip itself. Right after my classmates elected me in that January meeting, I sat down with Ms. Vân and Ms. Đan, and we started mapping everything out. We contacted travel agencies for transport and accommodation. We collected money from 41 people, tracked every penny, and made sure everyone knew the schedule. This was the first time I had organized a trip of this scale, and I learned that planning is not just about making lists. It's about anticipating what could go wrong and having a backup. Then there was the microteaching lesson with my group 2B. We spent weeks designing a 90 minute lesson on "Speaking: Your Favourite Subject". We met online late at night. We wrote and rewrote the lesson plan, sliced the time into stages, and argued over which activities would work best for naval cadets. Dr. Nữ Anh gave us detailed feedback, so we restructured the whole thing, changed teacher centered verbs into learner centered objectives, and clarified every instruction. I rehearsed my segment so many times that I could almost do it in my sleep. Now I understand that planning is not about controlling every detail, but about being ready for whatever comes. The nights I spent organizing, the emails I sent, the budgets I tracked, and the rehearsals I sat through all paid off in ways I could not have predicted. More than that, I learned that when you plan with care, you free yourself to actually enjoy the experience. I used to think good things just happen. Now I know they happen because someone, somewhere, planned them.

Then there are communication skills. Before this practicum, I thought I was decent at talking to people. But leading a group of 41 master's students and teaching at a military academy showed me how much I still had to learn. The first lesson came early. As student leader, I had to relay information from our faculty supervisors to the whole cohort. Simple things like schedule changes, dress codes, or room assignments. But I quickly realised that how you say something matters as much as what you say. I learned to write messages that were clear, calm, and complete. Another hard lesson was learning that not every opinion needs to be considered. At first, I tried to please everyone. I would listen to every suggestion, respond to every concern, and delay decisions because I wanted to be fair. But that only created confusion and wasted time. Eventually I realised that as the leader, my job is not to make everyone happy, but to make the right call. Being decisive was uncomfortable at first, but it earned me more respect than endless hesitation. Inside my group 2B, communication was different. We were friends, but we also had deadlines. Sometimes we disagreed about lesson plan activities or time allocation. I learned to listen more than I spoke. We never had a serious conflict because we kept talking. Even when we were tired and hungry, we kept the conversation open. Finally, the GALA night taught me that communication is also about emotion. When I stood up to give my thank you speech, I forgot half of what I had prepared. But I spoke from my heart, and people listened. So what did I learn? Good communication is not about fancy vocabulary or perfect grammar. It is about knowing your audience, keeping it simple, listening carefully, but also knowing when to stop listening and make a decision. I am still learning, but I am much better now than I was before Nha Trang.

Next is cultural competency skills. Teaching at the Học viện Hải quân was my first experience in a military educational environment, and I quickly learned that culture shapes everything. The cadets were disciplined, punctual. When I first observed Ms. Mai's class, I noticed that even though the setting was military, the teacher still created a lively, interactive atmosphere. That surprised me. I had expected rigid, one way instruction, but instead I saw students volunteering answers and the teacher using games and pair work. This taught me that cultural competency is not about stereotypes. It is about observing and adapting. The cadets were not passive learners. They were active and motivated, but they needed clear instructions and tight time management. In my own microteaching, I adjusted by keeping my word sorting activity short and structured. I used choral repetition and individual drilling. I also learned that pronunciation correction in a military context requires extra care.

Finallly, leadership skills. Being elected as the student leader for 41 classmates was not something I asked for, but I am grateful my peers trusted me. The role taught me that leadership is not about giving orders. It is about adaptability and responsibility. Adaptability came into play almost every day. When schedules changed last minute, I had to stay calm and quickly inform everyone. When a teammate struggled with her part during rehearsal, I stepped in to help without taking over. When I had to attend the signing ceremony instead of observing with my own group, I adapted by joining another group and still completed my observation task. Flexibility was not optional; it was survival. I learned that a good leader does not panic when things go wrong. Instead, you assess, adjust, and move forward. Social responsibility was another big lesson, and it showed up in small, everyday actions. As leader, I felt responsible for everyone's safety and well being. Every time we got on or off the shuttle bus, I counted heads. I could not relax until I saw that all 41 people were there. At meal times, I walked around each table to check if the restaurant had served every dish. If a table was missing a plate, I spoke to the staff immediately. I also had to arrange the shuttle buses efficiently, making sure no one was left behind and that the trips between the hotel, the Học viện Hải quân, and other sites made sense logistically. These tasks were not glamorous, but they taught me that responsibility means paying attention to small things so that others can focus on learning and enjoying the trip. Beyond logistics, I also had to mediate disagreements and make decisions that not everyone liked. Early on, I tried to consider every opinion, but that only led to delays. I realised that true responsibility is knowing when to stop discussing and make a call. Being decisive felt uncomfortable, but it helped the group move forward. In the end, leadership is not a title. It is how you show up when things get hard, how you treat people when they make mistakes, and how you take responsibility even when no one is watching. This practicum made me a better leader, but more importantly, it made me a more responsible human being.

CHANGE IN BEHAVIOR AND PERCEPTION 

The biggest change is in how I see leadership. I used to think leaders were the ones who gave orders and made big decisions. Now I know that leadership is often invisible. It is standing by the bus door counting heads. It is walking around a restaurant to see if every table has all their dishes. It is staying up late with Ms. Vân, Ms. Phương, Ms. Đan, Ms. Tâm and Ms. Trinh to plan a schedule while everyone else sleeps. No one thanks you for those small things, but if you miss them, everything falls apart. I have become more observant, more patient, and more willing to do the boring work.

My perception of teaching has also shifted. Before, I focused mostly on getting the lesson steps right. Warm up, presentation, practice, production. But watching my teammates and teaching my own segment showed me that teaching is not just about following a plan. It is about reading the room. When I saw blank faces during my instruction, I had to simplify on the spot. When a cadet struggled with "interesting", I had to choose between correcting him gently or moving on. I learned that good teaching is flexible and kind. I am now less attached to my lesson plan and more attached to my students.

How do I evaluate my own contribution? I think I did my job. Not perfectly, but honestly. As student leader, I kept the cohort informed, I mediated small conflicts, and I made sure no one got left behind. As a group member, I contributed my word sorting activity, gave my teammates positive feedback, and tried not to let my nerves affect others. As a teacher, I showed patience with the cadets, even when I was nervous and running out of time. I made mistakes. I turned my back to the class. I rushed my instructions. But I also learned from every mistake.

The moment that still stays with me is when Mr. Dũng and Mr. Quang sang “Nothing's Gonna Change My Love For You” at the GALA. I cried because I realised that my effort had been seen. Leadership is lonely sometimes, but that night I felt surrounded. That song told me that my contribution mattered to them.

So here is what I know now. I am not a natural leader, but I can learn to become one. I am not a perfect teacher, but I care about my students. And I am not the same person who left for Nha Trang. I am quieter, more observant, and more grateful. I also know that I want to keep growing, keep teaching, and keep showing up for the people who trust me.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, my practicum at the Học viện Hải quân was a deeply valuable experience that strengthened my professional skills and transformed my personal outlook. It developed my analytical skills through peer observation, sharpened my planning through lesson and trip coordination, improved my communication through leadership and teamwork, and deepened my cultural competency by forcing me to adapt TESOL pedagogy to a specialized military context. Just as importantly, it changed my behavior by making me more disciplined, punctual, and professionally self‑aware. What I take away most from this practicum is not the illusion that I have already become an accomplished teacher. Rather, it is the clearer understanding that becoming a good educator requires more than enthusiasm. It requires structure, reflection, adaptability, and discipline. After graduation, I hope to return to the Học viện Hải quân one day as a more confident and context‑sensitive educator.