Proof
I’ll start with an apology for not making an entry yesterday. Nothing too out of the ordinary happened, but most significantly I am trying to maintain my social life throughout this experience. After my seminar class I decided to go to a program my college had on inter-religious dialogues with a focus on peace. I figured it would be a good escape for me from the life of academia. Once I got home I still needed to make lunch for the next day and do a little bit of reading. This left me with only enough energy to shower, brush my teeth and take out my contacts. Tonight after student teaching I went out to dinner with some friends in an attempt to maintain some semblance of a relationship.
Of all the advice I was given about student teaching, I’m finding that one is significantly more prominent than the others: this thing is exhausting.
Even as I stare down my computer tonight (at the insomnious hour of 10:00 pm) it is a struggle to fight the urge that compels me to move three feet onto my warm, comfortable, inviting bed. The reason I am so tired is because from the moment I get to school at 7:00 am to when I leave at 3:30 pm, I am on. I am attentive, excited to be there, talking to students, walking around and always listening. Listening to teachers, staff, and students talk to me and especially talk to each other. This may sound strange, listening to other people’s conversations, but don’t think of it as eavesdropping. Instead, think of it as research for my demographics. Only when I know what is important to the lives of the people of this community (specifically the student population) can I design a curriculum that is truly connected and relevant to students’ lives.
This is but one of a few skills I have seen master teachers employ regularly which I have specifically noted and been working on for the last week or so. These include:
The Ear: A teacher’s clairvoyant ability to look completely engrossed on one task while having their undivided attention on a nearby conversation. This is a difficult skill to acquire because most people are used to reading lips when listening to someone speak. Using this skill, teachers can gain information ranging from curriculum difficulty to students’ outside interest.
The Strut: Master teachers feel comfortable moving around all areas of the classroom. They move in a slow, deliberate and calculated manner like a lion stalking its prey. Instead of deer, the teacher-lion hunts for learning opportunities, pouncing at the sight of a student ready to discover.
The Look: Every student knows the look. The look transcends every boundary of culture and time. The look ranges from teacher to teacher, but its effect is universal. Whenever a student is doing something they are not supposed to, the teacher stares at them in such a way that even if the student is facing the opposite direction they can feel that they are being silently reprimanded. This is one of the most powerful tools in the master teacher’s repertoire.
These are just a few examples; more will come as I pick up on them.
Changing gears, today was my first day teaching a lesson. I’ll spare you the details, but I basically reviewed the significance of reading and some literary elements and devices. It was simple, but I made the lesson as dynamic, relevant and interesting as I could. When I was done, my cooperating teacher told me I did a good job and that my passion really showed. As I was teaching, I really tried to teach from the heart. I genuinely love literature and I see the study of language arts as beneficial to a young person’s development in their understanding of the world. When I got this feedback, it was all I needed to hear. After the period was over there was a free period so other teachers were coming in and out of the room. I could see their mouths moving, but literally no sounds came out. I was so emotional about what had just happened, so excited about the process of planting seeds of knowledge and wisdom, that I kept replaying scenes over and over in my head.
If what my seminar professor says is true (An occupation is a job, a vocation is a calling), then today is proof to me that I have found my calling.
One last note. Today's date is September 11. When asked for advice about what students should write about once they get into class, I suggested to my cooperating teacher that they write about what they remember about the event. She then suggested that we offer a freewrite instead because most of the kids were only 7 years-old when it happened. The majority only know what they have heard from television or their families. By and far, as my cooperating teacher said, “September 11 is about as personally significant to these students as Pearl Harbor.”
Unreal.
Of all the advice I was given about student teaching, I’m finding that one is significantly more prominent than the others: this thing is exhausting.
Even as I stare down my computer tonight (at the insomnious hour of 10:00 pm) it is a struggle to fight the urge that compels me to move three feet onto my warm, comfortable, inviting bed. The reason I am so tired is because from the moment I get to school at 7:00 am to when I leave at 3:30 pm, I am on. I am attentive, excited to be there, talking to students, walking around and always listening. Listening to teachers, staff, and students talk to me and especially talk to each other. This may sound strange, listening to other people’s conversations, but don’t think of it as eavesdropping. Instead, think of it as research for my demographics. Only when I know what is important to the lives of the people of this community (specifically the student population) can I design a curriculum that is truly connected and relevant to students’ lives.
This is but one of a few skills I have seen master teachers employ regularly which I have specifically noted and been working on for the last week or so. These include:
The Ear: A teacher’s clairvoyant ability to look completely engrossed on one task while having their undivided attention on a nearby conversation. This is a difficult skill to acquire because most people are used to reading lips when listening to someone speak. Using this skill, teachers can gain information ranging from curriculum difficulty to students’ outside interest.
The Strut: Master teachers feel comfortable moving around all areas of the classroom. They move in a slow, deliberate and calculated manner like a lion stalking its prey. Instead of deer, the teacher-lion hunts for learning opportunities, pouncing at the sight of a student ready to discover.
The Look: Every student knows the look. The look transcends every boundary of culture and time. The look ranges from teacher to teacher, but its effect is universal. Whenever a student is doing something they are not supposed to, the teacher stares at them in such a way that even if the student is facing the opposite direction they can feel that they are being silently reprimanded. This is one of the most powerful tools in the master teacher’s repertoire.
These are just a few examples; more will come as I pick up on them.
Changing gears, today was my first day teaching a lesson. I’ll spare you the details, but I basically reviewed the significance of reading and some literary elements and devices. It was simple, but I made the lesson as dynamic, relevant and interesting as I could. When I was done, my cooperating teacher told me I did a good job and that my passion really showed. As I was teaching, I really tried to teach from the heart. I genuinely love literature and I see the study of language arts as beneficial to a young person’s development in their understanding of the world. When I got this feedback, it was all I needed to hear. After the period was over there was a free period so other teachers were coming in and out of the room. I could see their mouths moving, but literally no sounds came out. I was so emotional about what had just happened, so excited about the process of planting seeds of knowledge and wisdom, that I kept replaying scenes over and over in my head.
If what my seminar professor says is true (An occupation is a job, a vocation is a calling), then today is proof to me that I have found my calling.
One last note. Today's date is September 11. When asked for advice about what students should write about once they get into class, I suggested to my cooperating teacher that they write about what they remember about the event. She then suggested that we offer a freewrite instead because most of the kids were only 7 years-old when it happened. The majority only know what they have heard from television or their families. By and far, as my cooperating teacher said, “September 11 is about as personally significant to these students as Pearl Harbor.”
Unreal.
posted by A Neophyte English Teacher at
9:14 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home