Two weeks in and things seem to be going pretty well. My teacher is allowing me to ease into the culture of the class in such a way that while I don't feel rushed, I certainly feel that I am allowed to operate and communicate with the students from an authoritative position. More than anything I feel like I have simply been given an opportunity to just get to know the students, help them out and answer questions when their teacher is busy and, more than anything, learn their names. For this reason I feel like I have already begun building some connections with the students and they are beginning to see me as more than just a fly on the wall in the classroom.
That being said, we have begun looking forward to lessons that I will be teaching. It was recently determined that i will be doing an introduction to Lord of the Flies. I am actually kind of excited about this as it is a book that I have never really taken the time to read but have always been curious about. Fortunately I have over a month to read the book and prepare my lesson. I am really pleased with the fact that my teacher seems to be very open about working with me on preparing my lesson. Starting this week we will begin to look into various lesson possibilities and variations on what she had planned for the students before she was informed of my entry into her class.
Even more exciting than her willingness to work with me on this lesson is the fact that she just informed me that the class will be left entirely to me for a couple of days this semester. For two days in October she will be out of town and while she will have to have a substitute teacher in the classroom during those days, she told me that I will be in charge. What a great opportunity! While I have had the opportunity to teach lessons and spend minutes at a time with the teacher out of the classroom, I have never had a chance to work with a class all to myself. Even if it is just for a couple of days I feel that this has the chance to be a great learning experience and bit of preparation for next semester's student teaching and beyond.
While there is still a long ways to go, I am already feeling a lot more confident and comfortable about this upcoming year. While I feel I have had teachers in the past who have been willing to get me as incorporated in the class as possible, it seems as though this is the first time I have taken a bit more initiative to involve myself. I think that a lot of it has to do with the fact that I know I will be in the classroom for more than a semester. It really makes a big difference when you know you are going to be with a group of people for a significant amount of time. I know it does for me at least. Regardless of reason, I'm just happy that I am in the position I have found myself. I think this is going to be a good year.
The first time that a student teacher has the class to themselves is, I think, one of the scariest and yet most exhilarating moments of his or her educational career. I was lucky enough to have this opportunity early on through a co-op position in which a substitute didn’t show up on time. However, it really seemed to open my eyes to the classroom around me. Even now as we work with our CTs there is always the knowledge that the CT is there at our back if something were to happen- albeit good or bad. So in the experience in which we have finished teaching, completely alone from any other educator in the room, it always seems to magnify the sense of pride. At least, several other pre-student teachers and I have agreed with this sentiment. Are you nervous at all? Even though I’ve been in a similar situation a handful of times now, I still get nervous at the beginning of each class; less and less as time goes by. In the end, I think it will be a positively great experience for you to have under your belt before the student teaching semester begins! Good luck, although I’m sure you won’t need it!
ReplyDeleteScott:
ReplyDeleteI am glad you are feeling so comfortable with your CT and getting to know your students. It takes an exceptional CT to make both a class and a Pre-Student teacher at ease. Your CT must be a great communicator and I am glad you are getting familiar with your new surroundings.
As you will be planning your lesson around Lord of the Flies, I feel assured that you will plan a great lesson over this book. There are many great sites for you to get great ideas for lesson plans. This site: http://www.ereadingworksheets.com/free-reading-worksheets/literature-units/lord-of-the-flies/, is great for you to look at. It has a pre-reading activity for small groups. In this particular activity, students participate in a role-play of being trapped on an island without adults. There are specific questions the students must answer. Depending on the students, answers will be presented for unity or dissention. Each chapter has other activities, such as, characterization, conflicts, figurative language, literary elements, compare and contrast of leadership styles between Ralph and Jack, reading comprehension, and much more. I hope that you will visit this site and enjoy what you may find and could possible apply to your lesson.
I congratulate you on teaching for two days while your CT is absent and you have a substitute teacher present. This tells me that your CT has great confidence in your ability and will give you an opportunity to work on your classroom management skills and build confidence. Dr. Harry Wong has a great site called Effective Teaching. Teachernet/wong/SEP12/. This site has several articles, but Dr. Greg Risner discussed “First-Year Teacher”. In this article, Dr. Risner, relays the typical struggles for first- year teachers. Dr. Risner gives advice on how to make teaching a success. In addition, there are other articles from other professors and first-year teachers.
Last, I would like to ask you this. “What makes a great teacher?” For me a great teacher is one who constantly strives to learn more in the field of education. I will leave you with this quote.
The task of the excellent teacher is to stimulate "apparently ordinary" people to unusual effort. The tough problem is not in identifying winners: it is in making winners out of ordinary people. ~K. Patricia Cross
Good luck.
Pat Strelow
You are very fortunate, indeed, to have things set up they way they are. And, I'm so jealous that you get to teach Lord of the Flies! It has so many applications in real life, especially the power struggles and themes of dominance in society that are completely relative to the adolescent experience (think "bullying"), though I am pretty sure you have figured that out by now. I'm interested to see how things progress in this endeavor - best wishes!
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