Reflection 4

Our last field study was an interesting experience. Both opportunities to observe have been rewarding, but this last week I had a special experience to actually teach the Middle Schools.

The teacher of these 7th graders began a movie for the students. There was mixed feedback by the students as to the sensibility of showing a movie of a teacher teaching instead of teaching the students yourselves. I didn't think it was necessarily a bad thing, especially how he focused the students into certain aspects of the movie by preparing a fill-in worksheet that went along with concepts and applications the movie taught. What was most appreciate,however, was the initiative of the teacher to stop the movie every 5 minutes or so and direct the students. He asked questions, they read from their sheets. Then he asked applications and they thought about it, and then the teacher proceeded to prep them for the next segment of the movie.

He had half the students in another classroom, finishing up an assignment, so this was a good way to engage and facilitate both groups from across the classroom.

After the first debriefing point, the teacher handed over his VCR remote and asked one of us to teach or facilitate for him. I grabbed the remote, played the video, and began to teach. Teaching is much much easier when you understand or at least know something.. about the subject the students are learning. I jumped in, looked at the questions, and did my best to recap. That was hard. At one point, I asked the teacher what he thought about an answer to the question and then it was about over.

My during-thought was: Wow, they're actually listening to me. They looked at me. They answered questions. They responded when I asked them to pay certain attention or bring in real-life examples. Amazing, ya?
My after-thought was: I'm really excited to teach. Also - I need to know what I'm teaching, but I'm very very excited to be a teacher. Thoughts of appreciating the youthfulness of middle school crept into my head either. My excitement increased with the positive feedback from my peers. They said nobody could know that I didn't know what I meant and that I had a calm, authoritative presence. They loved hearing me teach in 276 and it was fun to watch me in the classroom.

With all that said, I'm still excited, and amazed at the effort that goes into teaching. Going over lesson plans and reading philosophies and writing student objectives is one thing, but to look at a student (YOUR student) and realize that he/she has full confidence that you are going to tell him something
1. is important
2. he will understand
3. is exciting to them
is quite overwhelming. It's good though. This has helped me to get excited. This has helped me to get focused. This has helped me to get a kind of love for the students all teachers, exciting or boring or funny or strict, need to have to be successful.