My first
week of pre-student teaching at a local middle school was eventful to say the
least. I met a few sixth graders that looked like crying after multiple failed
attempts to open their lockers. I worked with a class of seventh graders who
were on a mission to make their substitute cry. And my cooperating teacher was
M.I.A. after the first day due to the birth of his first child. Not sure if his
new daughter cried more than he did, but I am so happy for his family.
All in all,
I stayed relatively calm. I mean, the first week of school is only mild chaos,
right? I can say with full confidence that I really enjoyed everything despite
not having my mentor teacher around. Quite honestly, I am more worried for him
than myself. Could you imagine being a first year Language Arts teacher and
having your first child the FIRST WEEK of school?!
It is safe
to say I have no children of my own to worry about, but now I have a class of
roughly ten seventh graders to teach. I expected the class to be a bit larger,
but I am hoping the low numbers will allow me to make more of an individual
impact with each student.
The first
week consisted of a “get to know you” creative project…surprise! Welcome to
Language Arts! The objective was for each student to create a collage by
cutting out photos from magazines that are representative of their likes and
interests. I made my own to demonstrate and as an opportunity for the students
to get to know me. I think it was well received, I only saw one student pick
his nose while I was presenting.
The
substitute was a very nice lady. She held the students to a high standard while
they were presenting their collages to the class. She was tough and the grades weren’t great, but that’s how
we learn. Due to the fact that my mentor teacher was absent, I had a bigger
role in the classroom at the start and I was completely okay with it. I jumped
in with both feet and lived to tell the tale of Bobby* a student who
affectionately asked, “I like girls. Can I cut out this pretty lady and glue
her on my collage?” It’s going to be a great year, folks!
I am not
sure what is in store next and I don’t think my mentor teacher does either, but
it will be a unique experience for us to learn together. I have full confidence
in him and I know he will do a fantastic job reigning Bobby’s hormones. I wish continue to having a large role in the classroom and I know he will be
completely supportive of that. We're definitely going with the flow, and
while some might think that’s crazy, this is middle school. And in middle
school, crazy is an everyday thing. It is not for the weak and I am ready to flex my
strong, teaching muscles.
I love that we are observing in the same school! Just knowing I have another teacher candidate with me is so comforting, especially since we are both English/Language Arts for 7th grade! Hopefully next semester we will even be able to work together during plan time and be able to create our teaching unit together since our classes will be covering all the same content.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you brought up the fact that your MT has been absent for most of this week with the birth of his first child. How did you handle classroom management with the substitute? I’m sure it was really overwhelming for you to come in at the beginning of the year with a substitute, but also nice that you were able to gain that experience right away.
Teaching something every day is also something I would like to do, even if it is just bellwork or something small. Based on my interactions with both of our MTs, they seem like great mentors and people that really want us to succeed. I can’t wait to see how the rest of the year goes!
Welcome to the world of teaching. You never will be bored. Kudos to you for staying strong and reading to "flex [your] strong, teaching muscles."
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