It was our restroom break before lunch, and my teacher did subtraction facts between the boys and girls (each in their own line, and they had to compete against each other). One boy missed A LOT in a row. I know this is a small matter, but I couldn't help but think about how that had to make him feel. I don't think that is such a good idea. Many of the kids were saying stuff to him and acting like it was a big deal that he wasn't getting any right. Even small things like this really affect students, I think. Good idea but not a sound one, in my opinin.
I really like what I am learning about reflecting and meeting my students' needs. It's hard because I only have a short while, and when it's not your own routine, it makes it even harder, but it just goes to show how difficult teaching is. I am constantly assessing and making decisions! It's all so true! I have to think about what I want to assess, if I have assessed it, what kind of instruction I need to use. I think my philosophy about education has totally changed. Even though I am a total advocate for discovery learning, I have come to realize that the best approach to educating students is to pick a philosophy that meets their needs. I think will this class, I will slowly introduce them to more conceptual, discovery learning, but right now, they need the facts. So I am having to come up with ways to get them up, moving, and talking while at the same time, giving them the information and helping it to stick. I think once I get more into the swing of this, I can really start focusing on individual students. This is a hard thing too. I am becoming more aware of all students in my class while instructing...reinforcing one in particular (I think he did well today partly because of it), calling others out, etc. Now, I just need to figure out how to best help those who have attitudes, struggle academically, and are slower paced. I have realized that jumping in, I can't have it all together right off the bat; it's not possible to do that. If I really want to be the best teacher I can be, I have to keep adapting for the sake of my students and change a bit at a time. Otherwise, nothing will ever get done.
One thing we really need to work on is assignment books and homework. I need to brainstorm some options for this.
I will see you tomorrow!
Good night! I'm proud of you for handling that situation well today! (for what it's worth) Hope Evan is still recovering!
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Olivia,
ReplyDeleteIt is so fun to see you learning and growing daily. I'm not sure how you get your mind to shut down! I'll be praying for you as you process through what areas are necessary for you to try to address and what are ok to leave for when you have your own classroom.
I pray that your afternoon was fun/relaxing at the banquet.
Prof. Forshey