I think one of the most important challenges about teaching is maintaining a positive attitude. Everyday it seems there is a new story in the paper or a new bill in the legislature that blames teachers for the ills of society. Every one of us, I’m sure, has that one class that is a bit more rambunctious than the others and you are physically and emotionally drained after trying to get them excited about the content you are teaching. Everyone has had that experience with parents who, instead of being a team members helping with their child’s educational development, become problem players who see you as a hindrance.
With all these everyday headaches the best teachers, I believe, can maintain positive energy in their classrooms. I think as student teachers we have had to face all of these problems, and on top of it, we are not getting paid!!!!!I think, though, that every day I have been in the classroom I have tried to celebrate the one positive victory for that day, even if it was a small one. So now that were nearing the end of our time I want to hear the little victories everyone in this group has had. I believe that this will really help to motivate us as we approach our last couple of weeks
john< nice posting. For some reason, once I got into the blog I could not change the spelling and punctuation. I assume that everyone gets the point. Dr. Ries
ReplyDelete(Student) Teaching in a middle school has been a big change from working (and getting paid!) in a Kindergarten classroom for the last three years. I started out reminding myself not to bend down to tie the untied sneaker laces – just giving the wearer a heads up is enough. That being said, the connections I have made with some of these kids has been a very rewarding part of the whole experience. It makes me feel good to know they feel comfortable popping into my classroom before first bell or after school to share some news or just say hello. Teenagers have a way of surprising you – just when you think you have them all figured out. And the ones I can’t figure out – well, that is part of what keeps me motivated!
ReplyDeleteMy entire experience has been a bright spot in my life in comparison to my experiences in the corporate world. In trying to narrow down a memorable moment, I would say working with my 6th graders on writing a memoir of a significant moment in their life has been great. I've had the chance to show them examples of key moments in my life and they in turn have shared important moments with me. They are very open and honest at this age and being around that kind of energy has been a joy.
ReplyDelete'm responding to your post at lunch, after filling out a million papers and trying to get things sorted out for the next few weeks. Your blog post made me remember the reason behind what is currently frustrating me at the moment. I've had a wonderful experience so far, and putting together my porfolio over the weekend also really helped me to see how far I (and I'm sure everyone else) has come this semester. I have one student in particular that comes to mind when you say "victory." He is new to the district, and in the beginning of the year wasn't doing any work. He said that in his old school, he didn't learn any of this material, which to everyone else was review. It was a huge deal if he did his homework, let alone do it two it two nights in a row. Now, he does his homework, asks questions in class, and is putting in effort. He is still failing, but his grades are a lot higher than they were in the beginning of our semester. Even though I won't be here after Christmas, I'm looking forward to seeing how he does the rest of the year.
ReplyDeletemy entire experience as a student teacher in Memorial Middle school has been rewarding in many different ways. As a former student in Memorial Middle school it is an honor and privledge to work alongside teachers who inspired me as a 12 year old student. My students have opened my eyes to many different things and have brightened my year thusfar. They respect and appreciate me and have helped me to grow as a teacher. I have also come across many students who have given me a run for my money. I see every obstacle whether it be the displacement to Thomas Jefferson Middle School during the floods or a difficult students, as an opportunity to grow as a teacher and human being. I have loved every second of student teaching and although i did not want it to end about a month or even a week ago i am ready to move on and move to the next part of my teaching career.
ReplyDeleteMy student teaching experience has been a positive experience for me not only as student teacher but as a parent.
ReplyDeleteYesterday, while my students were working on a math lab, I was helping another student and another was waiting for me. My cooperating teacher offered to help the second student . The student replied "I'd rather wait for Mrs. Emanuelli "! Today, another student asked when my last day was. When I said December 23rd, he groaned and said " I will never be able to do so well in math again without you."
I have had the unique advantage of student teaching in the school where one daughter graduated from and the other is attending. Parenting is the single most difficult thing I have ever attempted and it causes one to question your self and our your parenting decisions on an hourly basis. My experience has filled me with confidence that my children's middle school experience is the best I can hope for and they are in a safe, caring place with the most incredible faculty I could ever hope for. I can't wait for my son to go there next year!
My student teaching experience has been positive for me. I feel that I have grown not only as a person but as a perspective teacher. I have had the opportunity to work with numerous ESL students, which can provide a unique challenge as I am not bilingual in any of the languages my students speak, but is ultimately one of the most rewarding experiences I have had. I have also gotten to see my students come into themselves as freshmen in high school, and have seen their grades improve throughout the semester.
ReplyDeleteThis experience has given me the confidence and experience needed to be a teacher in the high school setting. I cannot wait to hear back about the maternity leave replacement I have applied for in the spring!
I have two examples for this,
ReplyDelete1- is a lot of my students will ask that my cooperating teacher not look over their projects, not because they don't like him or they think I am an easier grader, but because they felt I will relate to what they are talking about more, they answered their questions towards the correct answer but also towards how I taught them and issues and examples we covered.
2- which really touched me, a student needed a tie tied for his school photo, he asked not that I could tie it for him but if I could teach him how, his reasoning was bc his dad isn't around anymore and he wanted a guy who he liked, who wore nicly knotted ties to teach him how, so he could look like I do.