My first year of teaching has been a balance of true extremes.
I have the great benefit of being able to gain experience as a regular classroom teacher and a teacher-on-call. My assignment at Delta Secondary allows me to work part time and every other day I am available at the beck and call of the substituting world.
Both have its great benefits –
My time at Delta Secondary has allowed me to grow and learn as a first-year teacher. I have two classes that, despite challenges, or rather, because of these challenges, make me continually reflect. These two classes could not be more different. Being exposed to opposite ends of the spectrum has been a wonderful benefit because without one class, I couldn’t appreciate the other. When the loud, rowdy class is acting up, I appreciate the quiet and reserved bunch. When they become resistant to volunteer and speak up in front of the class, I look forward to the group who cannot wait to speak in front of their peers. Slowly, I’ve learned to not compare or wish one was like the other because each have their own uniqueness and individuality, just like each student in my classes.
This exposure to extremes is similar to having my own class and my experience as a TOC. Being a substitute teacher, or a glorified baby-sitter as some may call it, has given me great benefits and I’ve learned a lot from it. No prep, no marking (although I enjoy marking) and if you have prior commitments, it is just as easy to decline the job and go about the day. Teaching with no strings attached in many cases. However, it is difficult to be in a strange classroom and have students walk in and call out to their friends, “Yeah! We have a sub!” There have been occasions where at the end of a day, being in a strange school and a strange classroom, I yearn to be back with my own students and for that I am so appreciative.
Without my regular class, I could not appreciate my role as a TOC. However, with the transitory nature of a job as a TOC, I truly cherish the opportunities I have been given to create these precious relationships with my students. Without one, I could not appreciate the other.
With these differences, I admire appreciate and respect the field of teaching even further and hope to continue to keep these extremes in mind when I may feel out of balance.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
Saved By The Bell
This was one of my favourite shows growing up. Who could resist the charm of the adorable Zach Morris?
But what is the bell saving us from?
Schools are run on bells – warning bell, bells to start the day, bells to start the class, bells to end the class. Bells ensure that everyone is running on the same time – that all students are getting “X” number of minutes of class time.
Of course we can aim to time our class to the exact second that the bell will go off but often times that is near impossible. I’ve encountered times when, while keeping my eye on the ticking second hand, I’m talking to the class and the bell rings and low and behold, the kids jump out of their chair, pack up the books and bags and stop listening. One moment they are attentive students, then the next they are out the door. The bell has conditioned them to stop listening.
Where else in our lives do we work around a bell?
Before teaching, I worked at job where we held weekly meetings at the same time and place. There would be reminders about the meeting but of course it was up to each individual to schedule their time to ensure that they would be on time. If a colleague was late, we started without them and it was their responsibility to catch up. Often times, that colleague would be early for the following meeting. Over time, we developed a rhythm where everyone was always on time as we were all crucial part of each portion of the meeting. There was an inherent understanding that we were each responsible for being there on time, as it would disrupt the rest of the group if we were not. This took time to develop but a key factor in all of this was that each member of the meeting felt that they were an integral part of the whole – that they had something to contribute.
Do all students feel this way in a classroom? What can be done to foster this kind of environment and to lessen the effect that the bell has on us?
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Puzzle Me This!
If you had an infinite supply of water and a 5 L pail and a 3 L pail, how would you measure exactly 4 L?
What was your initial reaction?
This is impossible! I’m never going to get it. Someone smarter will.
…or…
Sounds intriguing! Let’s give it a try!
At the end of a long day, my partner read me this puzzle and as exhausted was, it made me think. Part way through, I wanted to give up, or at least ask him for a hint, however, something in me wanted the satisfaction of solving it. In going through this process, I realized that this is the feeling I want every student to have.
The following week, I presented these puzzles to my Grade 8 Science class. I discussed with them about how science is a field where everything has been built from inquisition and experimentation – an exploration of the unknown and building from previous work from others. As Isaac Newton said it best, “If I have seen further, it is only by standing on the shoulder of giants.”
I started off with the “easy” one and the result was amazing. The students immediately started to work together and as I walked around the classroom could see that collaboration came so naturally to them. Not one student worked in isolation. Quiet students were excited to share their ideas and those whose ideas were similar broke off into a different group and worked together. Students were drawing diagrams, listing out potential solutions – it was brilliant. Once they thought they had the solution, they would come running to me to confirm and even when they were incorrect, they would go back to the drawing board to improve their ideas.
Then I introduced them to a more challenging puzzle. The result was the same and even more with collaboration and sharing in abundance. I saw each student contributing to each other’s learning process and the journey in finding the solution. I left the unsolved puzzle with them to take home and think about.
After class, a student who had always causes many challenges approached me and asked me if I could help him solve it. We walked through the puzzle together and while giving him small hints here and there he solved the puzzle virtually on his own. He truly rose rose to the challenge and didn't give up and was extremely proud of himself. This experience was eye opening for me in how to work with him, as often he is distracted and disruptive in class yet I saw him working on-task and so well with others.
What was the difference?
He was being challenged. They all were. They were being asked a question where the answer wasn’t found in the back of a textbook or on the overhead that is hidden in the teacher’s binder. In order to get the solution, they had to work together, pool resources, and think beyond what was expected of them.
Isn’t that what happens in real life? Isn’t this what learning is?
Although not every class can be full of puzzles and riddles, I hope to bring that element into each lesson so that when they are faced with life’s puzzles and riddles, they will be prepared to rise to the challenge and be successful.
What was your initial reaction?
This is impossible! I’m never going to get it. Someone smarter will.
…or…
Sounds intriguing! Let’s give it a try!
At the end of a long day, my partner read me this puzzle and as exhausted was, it made me think. Part way through, I wanted to give up, or at least ask him for a hint, however, something in me wanted the satisfaction of solving it. In going through this process, I realized that this is the feeling I want every student to have.
The following week, I presented these puzzles to my Grade 8 Science class. I discussed with them about how science is a field where everything has been built from inquisition and experimentation – an exploration of the unknown and building from previous work from others. As Isaac Newton said it best, “If I have seen further, it is only by standing on the shoulder of giants.”
I started off with the “easy” one and the result was amazing. The students immediately started to work together and as I walked around the classroom could see that collaboration came so naturally to them. Not one student worked in isolation. Quiet students were excited to share their ideas and those whose ideas were similar broke off into a different group and worked together. Students were drawing diagrams, listing out potential solutions – it was brilliant. Once they thought they had the solution, they would come running to me to confirm and even when they were incorrect, they would go back to the drawing board to improve their ideas.
Then I introduced them to a more challenging puzzle. The result was the same and even more with collaboration and sharing in abundance. I saw each student contributing to each other’s learning process and the journey in finding the solution. I left the unsolved puzzle with them to take home and think about.
After class, a student who had always causes many challenges approached me and asked me if I could help him solve it. We walked through the puzzle together and while giving him small hints here and there he solved the puzzle virtually on his own. He truly rose rose to the challenge and didn't give up and was extremely proud of himself. This experience was eye opening for me in how to work with him, as often he is distracted and disruptive in class yet I saw him working on-task and so well with others.
What was the difference?
He was being challenged. They all were. They were being asked a question where the answer wasn’t found in the back of a textbook or on the overhead that is hidden in the teacher’s binder. In order to get the solution, they had to work together, pool resources, and think beyond what was expected of them.
Isn’t that what happens in real life? Isn’t this what learning is?
Although not every class can be full of puzzles and riddles, I hope to bring that element into each lesson so that when they are faced with life’s puzzles and riddles, they will be prepared to rise to the challenge and be successful.
Monday, January 3, 2011
The first year of teaching is....
Since joining the wonderful world of Twitter some time in November, I have come across many blogs that have inspired, encouraged and refreshed my outlook on teaching. More than once have I thought to myself, “Wow, this person has so many great things to say,” and left it at that, not thinking that I have anything to offer in return – hiding behind the mask of a silent tweep. I spent quite a large portion of this winter break reading blogs, and came across one that mentioned the difficulties in the first year or two of teaching. Then the thought came to me.. “Maybe I have something to offer too...”
The challenges that one encounters in the first year of teaching may seem distant to those who have dedicated many years to this wonderful profession. Therefore, what I may have to offer is a reminder of the memories of asking the secretary about every little thing, jamming the photocopier when there is a line-up of teachers waiting to use it after you, locking yourself out of the classroom and having to crawl through the fumehood (that wasn’t me), and the awkwardness of running into the custodian at the school during winter break and having him think you are a student (oh, wait, was that just me?).
Another perspective I’d like to offer is that we all face challenges and often new teachers feel that they are the only one. Why new teachers often face the hardest assignments without the luxury of their own classroom is beyond me. With my “rookie” status, I’ve learned so much in the past three months of being at Delta Secondary and I hope that this blog will serve as a reminder to some and a way for me to keep track of my journey as the new kid on the block.
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