Think of all the ideas that you had about teaching and how they've changed. Think about what hasn't changed and what you still need to work on. Becoming a good teacher is a journey, not a destination, isn't it?
This week, try to reflect on yourself as a teacher using the thoughts in the previous paragraph or those that you might want to add. I'm looking forward to hearing from you!!
And, of course, enjoy the Rodeo Break, you lucky devils!!
7 comments:
wow
i cant believe we're already half way, that seems so unreal!
i have been pleasantly surprised with my teaching abilities that have started to come through over the past couple months. i always knew i was capable, but like everyone, i had some reservations. however, i have come to realize that i am incredibly comfortable in a classroom setting- teaching and being in front of students is definitely my niche. i have realized that i was born to work in the education system in some capacity, as i absolutely love it.
i had no idea what to expect in regards the students themselves- their strengths, weaknesses, abilities, etc. and i would have to say that in this regard i have definitely had some surprises (ex. the low level of english skills in non ell students, the amount of severe special needs kids.)however, i was pleasantly surprised to see that these kids are all (for the most part) great kids, with a lot of potential- it just needs to be brought out, but i definitely don't have very many rude or violent children, which makes my life easier.
i have since come to realize during these past 2 months, that i have the ability to be strict, somewhat demanding(but not unrealistic/naive) in the high level i yearn for them to strive for, but at the same time, i am fun, lighthearted, and let my passion and love for the subject and the kids themselves shine through. i think this great combination works well for my kids, as i have seen some wonderful responses, in terms of how far some classes and individual students have come since i have taken over, in regards to grades, class behavior/respect, and enjoyment of the subject matter.
i can't even begin to describe how much i have learned these past 2 months, and i am excited to see what the coming months hold!
hope you're enjoying your short weeks. have fun w/ aims! ha
so glad we could catch up over the weekend!
Thank you, Megan, for sharing in such a heartfelt and self-reflective way. Your third paragraph is a summation of what a good teacher strives to be and all of you are becoming.
Before going into student teaching I think that we all had these preconceived ideas about how it was going to be and for the most part that we were all excited. For me my experience so far has been great! I was not looking forward to being part of a Culinary Arts classroom but now I really enjoy being involved in class. Everyday is something different and I truly look forward to each day. In each class we have kids that have horrible grades (like 30%) and it just seemed like they could care less. I noticed that they were in class when we would give them writing assignments but they just would choose not to do them. As I thought about what I could do to help them I decided that I was going to get on their cases and just see what happens. By that I do not mean that I was going to be mean but I was going to show them that I truly cared about their grades and wanted them to succeed in class. Every time we had an in class assignment I went up to the students and asked why they were not doing the assignment. After that I asked if they understood the assignment which they said they did. I then told them that they should do the assignment because it was easy and would not take long if they did it. Next thing I know they are all turning in the assignments and not only that they are asking me if they can make up the other ones they missed. It just felt so good to know that these kids are actually attempting to do their assignments and I could see that they saw that I cared.
Teaching is something that I love doing and I look forward to making a difference in student’s lives whether it’s showing students that I care or anything else that may present itself.
On a funny note one of our advance students came up to me and asked if he could borrow $5. I asked him why he needed the money and he said because he was broke. So I said well what do you need the money for gas or something? The student said well it is kind of embarrassing, so I told him it is ok just tell me what it is really for. He said well Mr. G my parents are out of town tonight and my girlfriend is coming over and I need condoms. HAHA so needless to say I didn’t lend him the money because I did not have the cash on me but I did look up where a planned parent hood was and he went there instead.
Hope you all enjoy your break!
Oh, Nick, that last paragraph is very funny and wise.
You did that kid a real favor in responding the way you did. Well done!
Your experience in motivating the unmotivated is classic!! I'm glad you knew how to respond and did so consistently. Keep up the thoughtful blog entries!!
It’s hard to imagine we have already come so far in student teaching when it seems like yesterday we were at the U of A taking classes instead of teaching our own students.
I started out this semester being excited about student teaching. I was sure I’d be able to have good classroom management which I have strived to keep. As a teacher I want students to be aware of the rules but still be able to have some fun now and then while learning. When things weren’t going as well as I would have liked in a few periods I had to take a step back and look at the big picture and then adjust seats, teaching style, etc.
Just as I like to plan ahead being able to have lessons ready ahead of time has been a great advantage for me. While you can believe you can plan for the unexpected I have learned that some things are just going to happen for instance: a school lockdown, fire drill, bomb scare, half your class being sick or on a field trip, an emergency department meeting in which no one is there to go to therefore you have to step in. It all has been a very great learning experience and overwhelming all at the same time. Oh and we had a fire drill last Wednesday right after Aims as soon as the bell rang and I had yet to take attendance. That was fun! Lol. I had asked Sharon what to do in case of a fire drill but was never shown or told what to do. I totally looked calm but on the inside, I was like okay what do I do, grab the grade book, get the students away from the building, etc. Then a fire truck pulled into the school and everyone was like wow something is wrong. But actually there was a roll over down the way on the street the high school is on and the fire truck was confused when we all were standing outside. The fire drill was actually planned we come to find out but no one told the staff and teachers and only a few administrators knew about it.
Every week, every day, and every class period has their own personality and brings new challenges and events. Over the past few weeks I have been working with a special education case worker who has continually gone against everything Sharon and I have told her. We gave the case worker all the assignments for the student to catch up on. Then she wanted the test the student missed also because one day she literally spend 15 minutes talking about how she needs to read the test to the student. Even after I had volunteered to read the test to the student or help in any way possible. Therefore we gave the test to the case worker and next thing I know the student has the test in her possession even though the case worker said that the test would not be given to the student and the student would need to take the test in her first hour student skills in the case worker’s room. I was not very happy the day I found this out but the student had not completed the exam yet. It’s been quite frustrating. This student can do the work it’s just that no one has faith that she can complete the work. The student had a 55 % in the class and no one really cared. The student finally came to visit our classroom and I gave her a little talk about how I don’t want her to fail but if she doesn’t complete these assignments she will not pass this class. I continued to go on and say how she could do the work but she actually had to try and when she actually works hard she turns in great work. After turning in assignments and coming to work with me one on one this student now has a C in my class.
I believe that a teacher should care about the well-being of all the students they teach. The teacher should also be concerned if students continue to not turn work in instead of just letting them dig themselves a hole they’ll never get out of. Or also if a student who always gets A’s on assignments starts to get C’s on assignments be concerned for why the amount of effort has drastically changed. Each day creates new obstacles which helps us learn more and more about each student as well as out strengths and what we need to work on. I’ll strive to engage students because if they’re not interested they could care less if you want their attention or want them to remember something. My two best engaging lessons this far were my form salt dough lesson and my emphasis lesson. Everyone has already heard about the form salt dough lesson so I’ll talk about the emphasis lesson.
To start the day I had Beethoven playing in the background while the students were working on their starter. My starters usually never have a right or wrong answer they’re there to get a student thinking about a topic and see what they know already.
Then we took notes on Emphasis and the students used which ever note taking concept was easiest for them and they had to create it themselves. In one class many used a graphic organizer, in another they used outlines, and another was a combination of all different types of note taking. While using PowerPoint and the starboard I always have students circle things on the board or answer questions during notes. After the notes there were two assignments. Number 2 is my favorite and I worked hard to think of how to do it. First, assignment one was to find an emphasis in a magazine and labeling/ describing/certain things in the picture related to the lesson. The second activity the student’s had to draw a piece of furniture or accessory out of the basket I had (I had already cut out accessories and furnishings and printed them in black and white). Then they pasted it to a piece of paper which already had a two-wall view drawn. The student’s then had to color and sketch other things to make the piece they took out of my basket the focal point in the room.
After grading activity two I was able to see that every student is capable as long as you have high expectations for every student and never fall into the category of some teachers which believe that certain students are not capable of succeeding.
Sorry this was long but I hope everyone enjoyed it.
Breanna
Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!
I am so proud of you for sticking with students that you know need the extra encouragement and working with them to help them achieve!! Breanna, you bring up a good point about students whose achievement patterns have fallen. Students really appreciate the extra attention that you give them when you notice such things.
The situation with the special needs social worker sounds like it needs some review. Is there someone at the school level who you can talk to about how she is handling this?
I saw Breanna's lesson on emphasis and and it was quite spectacular! Although the subject matter is different, please share your successful lessons with us. (Also, when a lesson doesn't go as well as you thought it would, we're here to make suggestions and/or to provide support!)
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