Week Six: Diving In Head First...Yikes!

So far my field experience has been fantastic. I've been engaged in activities with students EVERY day, and my coteacher definitely isn't afraid to hand over the classroom and let me dive in headfirst (twice already). Most recently I've been working with the students who are behind on their work and had an alternate activity to work on while the rest of the class worked on a symposium activity having to do with the crusades. This has given me a fabulous opportunity to observe classroom dynamics, especially on Tuesdays and Thursdays when I can compare her second, fourth, AND fifth period classes.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays I've been staying at the middle school during third period when my cooperating teacher has a planning period, and it has been a wonderful opportunity to familiarize myself with the school (she gave me a tour and the principal gave me a t-shirt), meet other teachers, watch some student presentations in other classes, learn to use the SmartBoard, and grade student papers! Not to mention, it's a great time to bounce ideas off of each other and discuss how the classes went and how we can modify them for the upcoming periods.

I love that she creates a positive, student classroom environment and the ease with which I have transitioned into a position of authority in the classroom. I appreciate the freedom she gives me in terms of how I approach activities, classroom management, etc. Even when she turns the classroom over to me she reminds me that I don't have to do it exactly the way she did and to feel free to do whatever's comfortable to me. The fact that I have been so involved in the classroom makes it far easier to jump in and teach a lesson despite the nerves.

My goal throughout the remainder of my placement is to achieve the same comfort level I have working with smaller groups of students when I'm addressing the class as a whole. It's frustrating when I feel as if I've finally figured out who I want to be in the classroom and what that's going to look like and then get up there and NOT be that teacher. It's clearly just a matter of working out the nerves, but I'd really be able to cross that threshold!

Week Five: Idealistic vs. Realistic

Setting realistic expectations...I know this is going back to the basics, but it's something I've always struggled with. I think we all have this idealistic view of the world and what we can accomplish, but sometimes it's hard to tone that down and look at what is practical, what is doable. That certainly doesn't mean that we don't constantly push ourselves and explore our limits, but it does mean knowing where we stand physically and emotionally and recognizing that saying "no" is an option...even when we WANT to do everything.

Establishing these limits means figuring out what the individual steps are and creating realistic timeframes for accomplishing those goals. It's something that applies to nearly every aspect of teaching, from involvement is extracurriculars, professional development opportunities, and our ability to effectively plan lessons/units and cover all of the material in one short year. Beyond trial and error, have you discovered strategies for making sure that your goals are manageable and realistic?

Week Four: Georgia

This weekend I went to Georgia to do I.S. research (woohoo, Copeland funding!), and finally had the chance to meet the Vietnam veteran who has been the focus of my research for several months now! He and his wife are not only some of the most wonderful people I have ever had the pleasure of working with, but they gave me the chance of a lifetime...a chance to touch and experience history.

Yes, I had already conducted numerous interviews on his experiences before, during, and after Vietnam, but it wasn't until my trip to Georgia that everything came together (and I was the dope on the plane grinning and happily explaining my research to anyone foolish enough to ask about it). This time I had a chance to connect to history on a personal level, to discuss not only what happened then but how it influences the way he perceives current events. I had a chance to look at the world through the eyes of a teacher, a soldier, a leader, and a citizen.

Even given the short time we had known each other, I was treated like family and in just a few short days I felt like family. I was awed by the willingness with which he gave away items from Vietnam that he had held on to for years, and I returned with stories, photographs, slides, and personal items...his ammunition belt, an extra Vietnam ribbon, combat bandages, and his mess kit complete with creamer and sugar packets from his C-rations. I touched history. Never have I felt so honored or the importance of my research weighed so heavily on me.

My research has afforded me with a valuable, eye-opening experience and a chance to engage my field (both history and education) on a personal level. What experiences have you had or do you hope to have that inspire you and allow you to connect on that level?

Week Three: A Kamikaze Personality

The kamikaze video we watched in class this week (above) was both hilarious and inspirational...and certainly left me saying "I want to be in THAT classroom!" However, along with that statement came the realization that as much as I would love to be THAT teacher, it just isn't me. As effective as that demonstration was for one particular teacher, it isn't something that I could pull off in my classroom simply because it doesn't fit my personality. Similarly, I'm not the teacher smashing a cellphone mockup with a sledgehammer or doing the dance of the parallel lines either.

The key is, of course, to modify these basic ideas to reflect who we are as educators. I say "as educators" because, while who we are doesn't change when we enter a classroom, we emphasize different aspects of our personalities when we are in the classroom than we might outside the classroom. The question is, how do we begin to explore humor in the classroom? The style that works for me isn't necessarily the kind of humor that I can utilize myself, so how do you make the transition from knowing what doesn't work for you in the classroom, to knowing who you ARE in the classroom?

Random Fact: The word kamikaze translates to "God wind" or "Divine wind."

Week Two: "Bad Days"

This post is coming from a very emotional place, but I think it touches on aspects of teaching that we all need to consider at some point. We all have bad days, we're human, and most of the time I think we can all walk into the classroom and leave the other "stuff" at the door...because we have to. That doesn't necessarily mean we have to pretend (because then there's the tendency to overcompensate), but we need to genuinely focus on the positive while recognizing that the negative exists.

We need to be able to allow ourselves that bad day in order to get past it, but it's also essential to do so in such a way that it doesn't effect our students. Thus far, I've never had to face this situation in the classroom as a teacher, but I have as a student. I've seen how a teacher's or professor's "bad day" can affect learning for their students, and I've seen how my own "bad days" effect my ability to learn. As a teacher, what are your strategies for addressing those "bad days," and what positive aspects would you choose to focus on?

Week One: Curriculum

It feels good to be back in the game, to be back in classes, and to begin my last semester at the College of Wooster. I have a new roommate who came back from abroad, new classes to get excited about, and only one more semester of I.S. (my senior thesis) to complete! It was incredible to walk in on the first day of class and get to see familiar faces and "geek out" about education again. So, talking point number one, I'm happy to be back and I'm SO excited that education is still a part of my life this semester (not that I could ever separate education from life)!

I had a fantastic albeit busy and hectic first week with a lot of loose ends to tie up in the next few days, but I'm already excited about where this semester and this class will be taking us. I'm relatively sure that curriculum is not supposed to be this exciting. Isn't that the part that most teachers hate? For me, it's a puzzle...problem solving...a new perspective on the whole teaching profession that we really haven't been exposed to before. We've spent so much time focusing on how to teach a single, isolated lesson that it's refreshing to finally look at a larger perspective and see where your students have been and where they will be going in terms of the "big picture" rather than "yesterday they did THIS, and tomorrow they will do THIS."

In keeping with this week's theme, how do you personally view lesson/curriculum planning? Do you look at the big picture first, or do you have a tendency to sit down and go "oh, and then I could teach my lesson on _____ and then I could do ______"? Do you let the big picture dictate your lessons, or do you let the lessons dictate the overall curriculum?

"Some Enchanted Evening"

The last few days have been bittersweet...yes, I AM on break so I can't complain about that, but the people I love are scattered all over the world and I desperately miss them. Thankfully chocolate has tamed the hormones, but my brain continues to torture me with "what ifs." I'm not much in the mood to write at the moment. In fact, I plan to distract myself with mindless television and more chocolate shortly. I did, however, get a message from Joseph today...he always knows just what to say to brighten my day, but it also reminded me just how helpless I feel sitting idly at home while he is thousands and thousands of miles away in Israel. Darn my inner control freak! Anyhow, before I curl up by the fire, gobble chocolate, and watch Jeopardy, I wanted to share the beautiful sunset we had tonight with all of you...SO magical! :)

And yes, the title of this post is, in fact, a South Pacific reference! I know, I just couldn't help myself...after all, "Wonderful Guy" has been stuck in my head since last weekend (wonder who the wonderful guy is *cough cough*)!

New Years Resolutions

I hadn't realized just how long it had been since my last post here...my attention was temporarily diverted to another blog where I was required to write about my experiences during my education field placement, and I'm afraid I have neglected my readers here! So very much has happened since then. A semester has passed and my life has been touched by so many wonderful people. Joseph is still in Israel, we Skype when we have the chance, but now he calls me girlfriend. I met my Godson, Sebastian, and got to hold him for the first time...he was two weeks old. Life is beautiful, I've faced obstacles, there have been long tear-filled nights, but I'm so thankful for all of it! Goodbye 2011, we had some good times, we had some bad times, but I think I'm ready to move on! :)

I've never been one to make and keep New Years resolutions (mostly the second part), but there ARE a few things I want to remember in the new year. I promise to be true to myself, to follow my heart wherever it leads me, to always try to be the person I want to be, to find happiness in unexpected places, to love and be loved, and to never give up hope. I have one life, and I plan to make the most of every minute...I don't want to look back and wonder where my life went, to realize that I had wasted precious time. This year, I hope you all live life to its fullest and surround yourself with people who love you and will be there to get you through the next challenge, the next obstacle, the next crisis. To all the people in my life...I LOVE YOU and I absolutely couldn't do it without you! <3

Best wishes for the New Year,

Week Twelve: Farewell

This week was the last week of field placement, and my reaction has been bittersweet. On one hand, I am excited to be back in the classroom learning new teaching strategies, interacting and discussing educational concepts with my peers, etc. On the other hand, without field I know I will have to wait to implement these strategies until my next field placement...and I don't want to wait that long! Despite my impatience to experience field on a whole new level with another group of students and a new cooperating teacher, I will really miss my students.

This past week has been an incredible opportunity to get to know my students. Because I didn't have many formal teaching opportunities in field early on in the semester, that meant I got to consolidate this experience at the end of field. This resulted in a fantastic final week, in which I taught every day! Unfortunately, while my final experiences were exceedingly positive, I desperately wished I had connected with my students earlier in semester.

Week Eleven: Intrinsic Rewards

This week was a rather unconventional week. It was my first experience attempting to co-teach in the field (I've done it in education classes before, but not with a cooperating teacher), I missed field on Thursday and class today due to illness, and now I am home recovering for the weekend. I probably would have written an extensive account of my co-teaching experience today were it not for a conversation I had with my dad this afternoon. Teaching and education are rewarding in so many ways, but I think sometimes we focus on what happens in the classroom and forget that there are an infinite number of ways that education can touch our lives without ever setting foot in a classroom.

As I mentioned in a previous post, my dad was a key resource when planning my topic lesson presentation and became my inspiration for the ineffective group work activity in my presentation. I had had every intention of giving him a full report (including Sam the "clown" and Dexter, our favorite "self-confessor"), but it completely slipped my mind...until he asked about it this afternoon. I gave him an animated account of the lesson and activities, and his face lit up! It was the most wonderful thing...to see how excited he was and how happy he was to be a part of it all. When my mom got home from work, he asked if she'd heard about the lesson and when she hadn't, he launched into an explanation of the lesson that HE inspired. THAT was my intrinsic reward for the week!