My lessons learned between the lessons:
- A safe learning environment is essential. If my students feel like they will be criticized for their contributions to the class, eventually they will just stop trying. (Hey-o! A Benchmark!)
- Things never go the way you've planned. Always prepare to be surprised!
- Some students who need some time to form their opinions before they are ready to share them--these students need to be included. Find a way to make this happen. Whether it be through blogs or discssion forums, giving them a heads up about a discussion topic, or just making sure they have an opportunity to share later in the conversation, make it work.
- I need to develop a thicker skin. If I can't learn to let things roll off my back, I'll be running away screaming before my first week of teaching has even come to a close.
- Even the most diligent overachieving student needs to take a day off from work now and then.
- Take the things that frustrate you and turn them into learning experiences.
- Although I am a very nervous public speaker, I can actually find a lot of confidence and ease when speaking about a topic I feel comfortable teaching.
Melanie
ReplyDeleteAs a former 7-12 teacher, I think these are fantastic tips! Right on! I appreciate that you are taking some time to reflect on your own learning experiences and to see how they relate to your future teaching. As teachers it is important that we never loose sight of what it is like to be a learner in the classroom. I look forward to watching your list grow over the next year (and for years after)
I have to agree with Liz, these are definitely fantasic tips. I too feel like some of the stuff we are learning in class isn't really going to be useful to me in a math class (e.g. Socratic seminars). However, as you say so clearly there is a lot to learn in between classes. I sincerely hope that we all, me included, get as much as we possibly can in and between class and that we share it with each other. That's one reason I really like these blogs is because it gives us opportunities to share what we've learned with each other.
ReplyDeletep.s. great job with your presentation today!
Melanie, great ideas. I think you have done a wonderful job seeing the larger picture. Although one needs to be familiar with methods and teaching theories, it is just as important to be emotionally prepared to teach. A teacher also needs to have thick skin and know how to separate between the essential and non-essential. Many of these things will just have to come with experience. Anyway, I really enjoyed your ESL presentation the other day. Even though I am from Ann Arbor, I did not know about Bach's ESL magnet status. Nice job, Stefan
ReplyDeleteMelanie--like your inbetween class lessons. I think I struggle the most with getting students involved who are slower to raise their hands. It's so easy to get nervous and latch onto the first person willing to comment! Safe spaces are harder than they sound. I used to be in an outreach group way into safe spaces. It took us a long time to learn we weren't fostering a safe discussion space if we had an agenda.
ReplyDeleteMelanie! I love your comment about letting things roll off your back. It is so hard not to take things personally in this profession because what we do in the classroom is a representation of who we are as individuals. As I begin my 2nd year of teaching, I constantly have to remind myself that as well! Good luck as you start your student teaching; I look forward to reading about your endeavors! :) -Caroline
ReplyDeleteEven though you wrote this months ago...I just read it and I appreciate it very much. Many of the lessons you noted are those experienced by all of us and by reading your words we can acknowledge those lessons in ourselves.
ReplyDeleteI am all about the safe learning environment-it is so valuable to learning but so difficult to create.