My alarm went off, I packed my lunch, and off to class I went. This week was filled with assignments, activities, and lots of questions. I had no idea what was going to be coming my way until the first day. My eyes were opened to how much there is to do before I graduate and become a real teacher. However, amid the chaos and confusion at times, I did take away things that I will carry with me into my years of teaching.
What makes a person successful? Is it their looks? How many friends they have? What they eat for lunch? No, it is how hard they have worked at whatever it is they want to accomplish to get to where they are. This week, I received assignments that I am going to complete during my first six weeks as a student teacher. It felt overwhelming at first, but then I recalled the words of one of my teachers. She told us, "If your head is hurting, that means you are learning." I want to make sure my future students know what it feels like to truly learn. Getting a good education is not always easy, but it can be fun and worthwhile. The discipline we learn in school, the social skills we gain, and the work ethic we create will carry over into our lives after school.
One activity we did this week, that I really liked, was the fishbowl discussion. We broke into small groups and discussed certain sections of our text, Teaching Children To Care. After we talked about it, we wrote down the main points on a small white board and presented them fishbowl style to everyone else in the room. This will be an excellent resource I can use with my students in the future. It gets everyone involved in a non-intimidating way.
Co-teaching was another aspect of education I learned about. I love the idea of having more than one teacher in the room. How often do teachers complain about not getting to every student? With two teachers, students have a better chance of getting the attention they deserve. They have two opinions and point of view they can hear from. This made me even more excited to begin student teaching since I will add to the number of teachers in the classroom!
Last, but not least, as a class we got to watch a DVD of what the first day of school looks like. I was grateful to be able to watch and listen to what it could look like. I noticed the tone of the teacher's voice, the way the students were excited but also slightly nervous, and how she comforted them and engaged them, and what especially stuck out to me, was the wait time the teacher provided for the students to answer any questions she presented. That is one thing I want to keep working on. Sometimes it feels like awkward silence, but I often forget that little minds need more time than I do to process things.
Overall, even with the occasional brain overload, this has been an extremely rewarding first week. It has made me even more excited for what is to come this year!
What makes a person successful? Is it their looks? How many friends they have? What they eat for lunch? No, it is how hard they have worked at whatever it is they want to accomplish to get to where they are. This week, I received assignments that I am going to complete during my first six weeks as a student teacher. It felt overwhelming at first, but then I recalled the words of one of my teachers. She told us, "If your head is hurting, that means you are learning." I want to make sure my future students know what it feels like to truly learn. Getting a good education is not always easy, but it can be fun and worthwhile. The discipline we learn in school, the social skills we gain, and the work ethic we create will carry over into our lives after school.
One activity we did this week, that I really liked, was the fishbowl discussion. We broke into small groups and discussed certain sections of our text, Teaching Children To Care. After we talked about it, we wrote down the main points on a small white board and presented them fishbowl style to everyone else in the room. This will be an excellent resource I can use with my students in the future. It gets everyone involved in a non-intimidating way.
Co-teaching was another aspect of education I learned about. I love the idea of having more than one teacher in the room. How often do teachers complain about not getting to every student? With two teachers, students have a better chance of getting the attention they deserve. They have two opinions and point of view they can hear from. This made me even more excited to begin student teaching since I will add to the number of teachers in the classroom!
Last, but not least, as a class we got to watch a DVD of what the first day of school looks like. I was grateful to be able to watch and listen to what it could look like. I noticed the tone of the teacher's voice, the way the students were excited but also slightly nervous, and how she comforted them and engaged them, and what especially stuck out to me, was the wait time the teacher provided for the students to answer any questions she presented. That is one thing I want to keep working on. Sometimes it feels like awkward silence, but I often forget that little minds need more time than I do to process things.
Overall, even with the occasional brain overload, this has been an extremely rewarding first week. It has made me even more excited for what is to come this year!