I am extremely excited to put into action all the concepts
we have learned. I know you’re thinking we already had a chance to do this, but
I taught in an ESL classroom where the curriculum was unrelated to my content. It
was still a worthy while experience given how much a learned about clarity,
structuring a lesson, engagement, and reading strategies through the
implementation of my lessons. However, I want the chance to make UBD lessons in
my content. Already, I am thinking about doing primary source analysis or other
close readings with the post it notes and coding the text strategies provided
by D&Z (114-115). I am also anxious to incorporate current events into a
classroom along with non-fiction books through the use of literacy circles and
book clubs too (200-214). Even using the textbook seems interesting to me now
that I realize there are specific strategies (like “checking out the textbook”)
that I should be using to help student digest the assigned content (148-1551).
I am also excited to structure more engaging lessons. Before this class, I
didn’t know how to use cooperative learning or how to make a mini lecture
engaging. Now I have the tools to do so. For instance, the packet we received
with various cooperative learning structures is something I will always hold
onto as it is a quick cheat sheet for varying my lessons because even though
Prof. H. said not to over use cooperative learning, I will be using it a fair
amount in my class so as to avoid lecturing. I think using the cooperative
model along with independent strategy like the one D&Z provided is a much
better way to structure the classroom for it makes the students actively take
part in their learning. I just need practice find the best balance for using
these strategies. Nonetheless, being able to envision how to make engaging
history lessons makes me feel more confident as I feel like I now have the
tools to scaffold my future students learning towards a more critical stage of
thinking.
At the same time, my nerves come from the fact my first year
of teaching will be a huge challenge. K mentioned the first year is incredibly
lonely starting out in a new environment with no allies. The classroom
management article reminded us that many times we won’t have the best of plans.
If we can get “10 minutes of real teaching” it might be considered a win (79). The
same article also reminded me that I am uncertain of how exactly I will manage
my own class because such a topic is only something we can only truly learn by “trial
and error” (77). While the parent panel displayed the challenge of
communicating with people who want the best for their child, but lack the
educational knowledge we are learning. Simply put, there will be a great deal
of adjusting because our classes can’t prepare us for everything that is to
come.
In no way has the realism of this class diminished my desire
to teach. If anything this class made me feel better about going into my final
years here at RIC. I remember last year discussion my anxiety in one of my
blogs and I concluded that at least my anxiety is a sign that I care enough to
eventually figure out the answers to what was making me nervous. As much as I
wanted to figure out the answers to everything that made me nervous, I didn’t
always know where to look. Nor was I even familiar enough with all the
educational language for me to even pull off a proper search. At least now I
feel like I know what to actually focus on when doing a search, what tools to
use when creating a lesson, and what actually fits into my educational
philosophies (more on that in my summative!). So while I feel a little daunted
thinking about all the challenges that lie ahead the confidence in my ability to
teach outweighs this feeling. I do realize some days everything won’t go
smoothly (my first lesson is a good example of this) other will be good (my
second lesson was closer to this feeling). I just need to remember that
starting off as a first year teacher means I will make mistakes, but each of my
mistakes provides an opportunity to reflect and learn from it. Though given how
hectic I hear the first year can be, I wonder when exactly I will make the time
to process everything that is occurring around me? I think the in-depth
reflections I do for this classes each week will be rare at first. Instead the
reflections will be more in line with the notes the teacher in the classroom
management article made when she jotted down information to herself on a 3X5
card in between classes (78). However, I do know more reflection needs to
happen. So when I figure how to manage my new schedule effectively, I will make
time for more reflection (and it will be a lot sooner than the phases of
teaching as depicted below).
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