On Wednesday morning I was very nervous and excited to be in the classroom working with students. This was my first step into the teaching world. Overall my experience was bittersweet. I enjoyed working with the kids however, the teacher assigned us small groups and needless to say my patience was tested. I was working with 5 kids in a small group setting and it was extremely hard to keep them on task. The group was very chatty and very noisy. I tried to redirect them back to our assignment but the chatting continued. I was firm and patient with my group and gave them direction. However, I would help one student with a problem and the other 4 students would immediately copy the other students work. I specifically stated that cheating is not ok and I would not put up with it. But on the next problem same thing, I felt like the group was not listening to me and not taking direction well. I was having to constantly redirect them because, my group was trying to get me off task. Small groups can sometimes be frustrating because, you may have one student who just zooms ahead of the other students and doesn't follow along in the group. You also can have a student who is struggling and who is really behind and then, you would have to work one on one with that student to catch him/her up to speed. While your working with this student all your other students are getting off task which makes it very hard to concentrate on the specific student you are working with. The teacher was all business, I felt very intimidated by her. She was very straightforward and to the point. I got the feeling that her class was run like a well oiled machine. She seemed very stern. When i look at teachers I'm used to seeing bright smiling faces and happiness. There is a glow I get from teachers a certain aura that surrounds them. No disrespect whatsoever but I felt like this teacher's motto was all work and no play. Overall my experience was good. There was a lot of good feedback i received from the teacher. But, It still felt bittersweet. I wanted to be more serious with my group but i didn't want to overstep my boundaries in her class. This presents somewhat of a problem because it limits my ability to redirect kids.
Andrew,
ReplyDeleteThis is a very real and consistent problem with adults who step into a classroom for the first time; you have no credibility or respect from the students because that has to be earned. This is the whole crux of classroom community building and student guidance. We have all been in your situation, so it's not you.
The students will get to know you, and as long as you are consistent, kind, and caring, they will start to come on board and respect what you are asking them to do. Now, you will always have one student who just has a hard time falling in line, but with maturity, that student will probably turn out okay. We have to remember that not everyone loves school or even wants to be there.
As far as the teacher goes, it's always hard to be in someone else's classroom. You can ask her what she would like you to do in that type of situation or you can practice some of the things we will talk about on Monday. Please bring up this experience when we 'debrief.' Nice blog.