To be quite honest, I'm not even sure what happened to the month of February. So many things have happened that my head is spinning. Here's what I've learned in these last few weeks:
- Having a student teacher is very hard, very rewarding work. If you're thinking that you should mentor a student teacher just so you have some time to get caught up, get ahead or have a little free time, please don't do it. You'll be doing a disservice to your student teacher and your students.
- Young people today are not given nearly enough credit. I posted about THON in my last post, and last weekend I spent 46 hours with some of the most amazing college students you might ever meet. Please take some time to visit their sites and see what it looks like when 15,000 college students come together FTK (For The Kids) and raise $9.56 million! I am honored to have been a guest of a Four Diamonds Family, humbled to be part of this amazing weekend, and motivated to do more for all kids who suffer from this horrible disease.
- We all need to make sure we communicate openly and honestly with the people we love, are friends with and work with. When you don't understand what's going on in a situation because there's been limited communication just one small sentence can be devastating. Even when you find out that things aren't as bad as you thought the miscommunication leaves lasting effects.
- If your student or child ever says or writes ANYTHING that raises even the slightest little red flag in your mind, tell somebody. Tell your principal, tell your guidance counselor, tell anybody so they can check into it and get that child the help that he or she needs.
- Sometimes we teach our kids really silly things in the name of "fidelity" and "consistency". When I feel like something is .... is worthless the word I really want here???... presented in a way that is not meaningful to my students I need to be confident enough to change things up to make it meaningful to my kids.
- Even if it doesn't perfectly fit into my curriculum (as I was told by some people), just talking with another class over Skype is a wonderful way to help my students practice their listening and speaking skills. It was very eye opening to see how much work they need in those areas!
- Giving kids the opportunity to be self-directed in their learning is scary, hard, exciting and uplifting all at the same time.
- I love that I was welcomed into a colleague's classroom yesterday to learn more about Edmodo! I've seen many people tweet about it, but I hadn't had the opportunity to research it myself. It was also pretty powerful to hear how her message about social media and to see how confident my students were in the tech lab. It was also exciting to talk with her about how we both might use it in our classes.
- As part of our PLP group we have been working very hard to begin developing professional development for the rest of our faculty. It was very rewarding to hear that our teams' thoughts were on track with what the rest of the faculty believes are our technology needs, and I'm very motivated to provide a lot of meaningful opportunities for our teachers.
- It's so frustrating that so much of my life as a teacher and what I do in my classroom is controlled by people who have not stepped in schools since they were 18 and by people who think they can do whatever they want with no repercussions. But I need to keep focused on the kids because that is what remains the same every, single, day - it's always about the kids.
- It's funny how confident I am in many situations and how completely chicken I am in others. I almost didn't book the hotel for TEDxNY, but I didn't let myself chicken out. I know I'll be thankful to be there next Saturday at this time. Right now, I'm still feeling a little ill when I think about trying to find my way around NYC all by myself!
So, that is February in a nutshell - quite a lot for the shortest month of the year. What did you learn in February?
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
A Little About Life
Even though my blog is called Teach 'n' Life I haven't spent a lot of time talking about life. With a very important weekend coming up, I thought I'd take a minute to talk about something very, very important to me.
I have to say that I am not a survivor of childhood cancer, and none of my students have ever suffered from any of these awful diseases. But the fight against childhood cancer is a fight that is near and dear to my heart. When I was in college I was a member of the national service sorority, Gamma Sigma Sigma. After graduation I was looking for a way to continue volunteering, and one day while perusing the Internet I came across an ACS camp called Camp Can Do. Camp Can Do is a pediatric oncology camp for kids ages 7 - 17 who are currently going through treatment or have been off treatment less that 5 years. While I didn't get to volunteer the first few summers after I discovered camp I was finally able to spend a week at camp in the summer of 2003.
It changed my life.
"It must be terribly sad," they say. "I don't know how you do it." It is terribly sad. Every time we lose a camper, my heart breaks in two. These kids have every reason to be angry, to be bitter, and to expect everybody to do things for them or give them things. They have had to say goodbye to friends who have died and they've had to undergo treatments that would bring the biggest, strongest men to their knees. But despite all of these experiences, the lessons these kids teach me more than make up for the sadness and heartache that comes with the loss and the illness. These amazing kids exude hope, compassion, love and understanding. They want nothing more to give back to those who have helped them and their families. People often ask how I can possibly spend a week away from home with these kids. My question in return is, "How do I NOT go to camp?" My week at camp fills my heart and soul and opens my eyes for the year to come. Talk about filling up my cup!! It definitely runs over.
So why am I telling you about this now? In 11 days I will be traveling to State College, PA to Penn State University to witness my first THON. A post explaining what THON is would take another three hours to write, so I invite you to visit THON's website here , visit their YouTube channel or watch the promo for the upcoming weekend below. The amazing thing about THON is that unlike St. Jude's, where kids only benefit from the free treatments if there is a research study into which their diagnosis fits, the Four Diamonds Fund provides financial support to every single child going through treatment at the Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital. It also funds continued support for research being conducted at the same facility.
As you read about THON and watch the videos you have to understand that this is completely student run, and since it's humble beginnings THON has raised over $68 million for the Four Diamonds Fund. I'm certainly not asking that everybody make a donation to THON, although that would be awesome, I'm just asking that everybody take a minute to think about the amazing kids all around us who have fought this terrible disease (there's pink everywhere - but where's the gold?) and to think about all of the amazing young people who give their time and talents to make THON happen.
I have to say that I am not a survivor of childhood cancer, and none of my students have ever suffered from any of these awful diseases. But the fight against childhood cancer is a fight that is near and dear to my heart. When I was in college I was a member of the national service sorority, Gamma Sigma Sigma. After graduation I was looking for a way to continue volunteering, and one day while perusing the Internet I came across an ACS camp called Camp Can Do. Camp Can Do is a pediatric oncology camp for kids ages 7 - 17 who are currently going through treatment or have been off treatment less that 5 years. While I didn't get to volunteer the first few summers after I discovered camp I was finally able to spend a week at camp in the summer of 2003.
It changed my life.
"It must be terribly sad," they say. "I don't know how you do it." It is terribly sad. Every time we lose a camper, my heart breaks in two. These kids have every reason to be angry, to be bitter, and to expect everybody to do things for them or give them things. They have had to say goodbye to friends who have died and they've had to undergo treatments that would bring the biggest, strongest men to their knees. But despite all of these experiences, the lessons these kids teach me more than make up for the sadness and heartache that comes with the loss and the illness. These amazing kids exude hope, compassion, love and understanding. They want nothing more to give back to those who have helped them and their families. People often ask how I can possibly spend a week away from home with these kids. My question in return is, "How do I NOT go to camp?" My week at camp fills my heart and soul and opens my eyes for the year to come. Talk about filling up my cup!! It definitely runs over.
So why am I telling you about this now? In 11 days I will be traveling to State College, PA to Penn State University to witness my first THON. A post explaining what THON is would take another three hours to write, so I invite you to visit THON's website here , visit their YouTube channel or watch the promo for the upcoming weekend below. The amazing thing about THON is that unlike St. Jude's, where kids only benefit from the free treatments if there is a research study into which their diagnosis fits, the Four Diamonds Fund provides financial support to every single child going through treatment at the Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital. It also funds continued support for research being conducted at the same facility.
As you read about THON and watch the videos you have to understand that this is completely student run, and since it's humble beginnings THON has raised over $68 million for the Four Diamonds Fund. I'm certainly not asking that everybody make a donation to THON, although that would be awesome, I'm just asking that everybody take a minute to think about the amazing kids all around us who have fought this terrible disease (there's pink everywhere - but where's the gold?) and to think about all of the amazing young people who give their time and talents to make THON happen.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Opportunities Abound
When I read a post on the PLP blog and picked Opportunity for my word of the year I didn't have any idea what an impact it would have on me. Just two days into the new year I knew I picked the right word, and one month later things have not changed.
Yesterday I had to opportunity to represent the faculty of our new building by serving on a panel to interview the principal candidates. While I've had the opportunity to participate in interviews as part of my internship program, I was quite honored to be selected. It was interesting to hear all of the candidates speak and exciting to be able to give my input. I'm excited to see which candidate(s) will move on in the process, and I look forward to working with any of them to create an amazing new community of learners.
This past weekend I had the opportunity to reflect upon my students' learning throughout the second marking period. I was excited to see how their writing had improved and to see the growth many kids made towards our reading benchmarks, but at the same time I am not happy with the assessments I used for my content areas. I continue to reflect upon what I can do differently to make this learning more purposeful. It shouldn't just be about regurgitating facts for a test or quiz. How do I balance my beliefs with a need to "get 4 grades per marking period" for our progress reports? Here is my opportunity to learn and grow during the third marking period.
The weather has provided me the opportunity to get caught up on all of the housework that I skipped this weekend while working on progress reports, but I've been a little distracted from that task. That's because another opportunity popped up in my inbox this morning. This email's subject line was "See you at TEDxNYED!" I'm honored, humbled and excited to have been accepted to attend TEDxNYED. There are several people from my PLN who will be attending so I am very excited to meet with them in person. I'll admit, though, that I am also completely and utterly terrified about this opportunity. I am probably the farthest thing from a city girl you will ever find so the thought of going into the city, navigating around the city, and getting back to my train has me about sick to my stomach. But that's the thing about opportunities: the good ones always help you learn something. Sometimes that something is WAY outside your comfort zone, like navigating NYC will be way out of mine, but what I will take away from attending more than makes up for the fear I'm feeling about the trip.
So January ends and February begins the same way the new year rang in, with opportunities to learn and grow everywhere.
Yesterday I had to opportunity to represent the faculty of our new building by serving on a panel to interview the principal candidates. While I've had the opportunity to participate in interviews as part of my internship program, I was quite honored to be selected. It was interesting to hear all of the candidates speak and exciting to be able to give my input. I'm excited to see which candidate(s) will move on in the process, and I look forward to working with any of them to create an amazing new community of learners.
This past weekend I had the opportunity to reflect upon my students' learning throughout the second marking period. I was excited to see how their writing had improved and to see the growth many kids made towards our reading benchmarks, but at the same time I am not happy with the assessments I used for my content areas. I continue to reflect upon what I can do differently to make this learning more purposeful. It shouldn't just be about regurgitating facts for a test or quiz. How do I balance my beliefs with a need to "get 4 grades per marking period" for our progress reports? Here is my opportunity to learn and grow during the third marking period.
The weather has provided me the opportunity to get caught up on all of the housework that I skipped this weekend while working on progress reports, but I've been a little distracted from that task. That's because another opportunity popped up in my inbox this morning. This email's subject line was "See you at TEDxNYED!" I'm honored, humbled and excited to have been accepted to attend TEDxNYED. There are several people from my PLN who will be attending so I am very excited to meet with them in person. I'll admit, though, that I am also completely and utterly terrified about this opportunity. I am probably the farthest thing from a city girl you will ever find so the thought of going into the city, navigating around the city, and getting back to my train has me about sick to my stomach. But that's the thing about opportunities: the good ones always help you learn something. Sometimes that something is WAY outside your comfort zone, like navigating NYC will be way out of mine, but what I will take away from attending more than makes up for the fear I'm feeling about the trip.
So January ends and February begins the same way the new year rang in, with opportunities to learn and grow everywhere.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
More Reasons to Have Kids Blogging
In preparation for doing progress reports I had my kids go back through all of their posts on our blog and their pieces in Google Docs and select the three pieces they felt were the best examples for the marking period. Each student completed a reflection sheet explaining where I could find the pieces, why they selected they selected them, how they have improved their writing this marking period, and a goal for the next. This weekend I sat down to grade all of their choices, and it has been an amazing learning experience for me.
Reason number one to get kids blogging? The sheer amount of writing that all of my students have completed is pretty incredible. Doing things the "old way" I was lucky to have the required three writing pieces at the end of each marking period. By allowing my students the freedom to write whenever and about whatever they wanted, with the exception of two assigned pieces per marking period, the writing practice has increased dramatically. Like I tell my kids every day, you would never expect to be a professional ball player without practice. Why would we expect writers to be any different?
Having an authentic audience has also caused my students to think more about their purpose. They aren't just writing because they "have to" for a grade. They realize that they are writing because they are communicating their ideas with other people, and I see them going back over their posts to make sure that everything is just right before they click that "Submit for Approval" button. Does that mean every post is edited to a polished perfection? Absolutely not. But my kids are recognizing that without editing others will not be able to read and respond, and everybody wants to be the person who logs in and finds comments on their blogs each morning.
The third reason is more about me than the kids, and it's the one that's been the most unexpected today. When faced with 22 students x 4 writing pieces per student (their 3 picks and our required marking period writing sample) my first thought was, "How am I ever going to grade 88 writing pieces today?" (Yes. I admit it. I am Chapter President of Procrastinators Anonymous. I prefer to say I work better under pressure.) But today has been different. I'm not reading 22 versions of the same 3 writing pieces. Sure, the kids selected some of the same assignments, but each and every child has given me some sort of twist. Not only have I read the 4 pieces needed for progress reports, I've spent the time going back and reading most of the posts on their blogs and their Google stories. The growth that my kids have shown is fantastic, and they recognized it when they shared how they have improved on their reflection sheets. In addition to the growth they've already made, each student also was able to give me a meaningful goal that they would like to work on to improve their writing during the third marking period.
I knew that getting my kids blogging would make writing more fun for them, but I wasn't sure what else it would mean to them. Now I see that they have taken their roles as real writers very seriously. They are all working very hard to learn the skills they need to communicate effectively with our newfound audience. So thank you - to everybody who reads this blog and reads and comments to my kids, THANK YOU! You have made a difference to my kids and have helped them see that writing is something more than just a skill we need for our PSSA tests.
Now, to put all of that into 1300 words or less on each child's progress report...
Reason number one to get kids blogging? The sheer amount of writing that all of my students have completed is pretty incredible. Doing things the "old way" I was lucky to have the required three writing pieces at the end of each marking period. By allowing my students the freedom to write whenever and about whatever they wanted, with the exception of two assigned pieces per marking period, the writing practice has increased dramatically. Like I tell my kids every day, you would never expect to be a professional ball player without practice. Why would we expect writers to be any different?
Having an authentic audience has also caused my students to think more about their purpose. They aren't just writing because they "have to" for a grade. They realize that they are writing because they are communicating their ideas with other people, and I see them going back over their posts to make sure that everything is just right before they click that "Submit for Approval" button. Does that mean every post is edited to a polished perfection? Absolutely not. But my kids are recognizing that without editing others will not be able to read and respond, and everybody wants to be the person who logs in and finds comments on their blogs each morning.
The third reason is more about me than the kids, and it's the one that's been the most unexpected today. When faced with 22 students x 4 writing pieces per student (their 3 picks and our required marking period writing sample) my first thought was, "How am I ever going to grade 88 writing pieces today?" (Yes. I admit it. I am Chapter President of Procrastinators Anonymous. I prefer to say I work better under pressure.) But today has been different. I'm not reading 22 versions of the same 3 writing pieces. Sure, the kids selected some of the same assignments, but each and every child has given me some sort of twist. Not only have I read the 4 pieces needed for progress reports, I've spent the time going back and reading most of the posts on their blogs and their Google stories. The growth that my kids have shown is fantastic, and they recognized it when they shared how they have improved on their reflection sheets. In addition to the growth they've already made, each student also was able to give me a meaningful goal that they would like to work on to improve their writing during the third marking period.
I knew that getting my kids blogging would make writing more fun for them, but I wasn't sure what else it would mean to them. Now I see that they have taken their roles as real writers very seriously. They are all working very hard to learn the skills they need to communicate effectively with our newfound audience. So thank you - to everybody who reads this blog and reads and comments to my kids, THANK YOU! You have made a difference to my kids and have helped them see that writing is something more than just a skill we need for our PSSA tests.
Now, to put all of that into 1300 words or less on each child's progress report...
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
What Happens When They Leave?
I've always felt that one of the hardest things about being an elementary teacher (sorry I can't speak for my secondary friends) is saying goodbye to "my" kids at the end of the year. Even with all of the switching throughout the day for various subjects, I become very close with my students and always pass them on with a bit of trepidation. Did I prepare them well? Are they confident enough to be successful? Will they be the good people I know they can be? These are the questions I ponder at the end of every year.
Today I had my mid-year conference with my principal. I got to show him all of the wonderful things I have learned through my participation with the PLP IU13 cohort like our class blog, our private class wiki, and some of the different things I have accomplished as I have been building my PLN on Twitter. He was very enthusiastic and excited about all that I was sharing, and he asked several great questions about how we can get more people to use these different tools. But then he asked me one question that stopped me in my tracks. I can't remember the exact wording, but he asked me something along the lines of, "So how do you feel about teaching your kids like this and then knowing they might not get to learn like this next year?"
This is a question that has popped into my head on several occasions, and I have very quickly shoved it right out. I am focusing on the opportunities I have right now to work with my kids and trying not to think about "what ifs" for the future. The future? I do not know if my current class will have these same learning opportunities as they move on to future grades. Nor do I know if I will have the technology resources available next year to teach my own class the same way I'm teaching this year. It's a scary prospect because I am seeing kids who are starting to love reading and writing, kids who are enjoying connecting with the world around them, kids who have some choices in their learning opportunities, and kids who are seeing the value of learning beyond filling in bubbles on a test.
Please understand, I am not commenting on the abilities of the teachers in the grades following mine. They are all amazing teachers, and they take wonderful care of the kids. But I'm starting to really look at my role and my students' educations very differently. Am I doing them a disservice setting up my classroom in a way that may not be replicated again for 1, 2, 7 or even 11 years? My gut tells me that kids are resilient, and many will adjust to a traditional classroom setting, but should they have to?
I throw this out to those of you who are and have been doing things differently in your classrooms. Whether it's a different behavior management system, different grading or instruction, the incorporation of self-directed or project based learning, or utilizing other types of web 2.0 tools. Do your students go back to traditional classrooms after they leave you, and if so how do they do?
Today I had my mid-year conference with my principal. I got to show him all of the wonderful things I have learned through my participation with the PLP IU13 cohort like our class blog, our private class wiki, and some of the different things I have accomplished as I have been building my PLN on Twitter. He was very enthusiastic and excited about all that I was sharing, and he asked several great questions about how we can get more people to use these different tools. But then he asked me one question that stopped me in my tracks. I can't remember the exact wording, but he asked me something along the lines of, "So how do you feel about teaching your kids like this and then knowing they might not get to learn like this next year?"
This is a question that has popped into my head on several occasions, and I have very quickly shoved it right out. I am focusing on the opportunities I have right now to work with my kids and trying not to think about "what ifs" for the future. The future? I do not know if my current class will have these same learning opportunities as they move on to future grades. Nor do I know if I will have the technology resources available next year to teach my own class the same way I'm teaching this year. It's a scary prospect because I am seeing kids who are starting to love reading and writing, kids who are enjoying connecting with the world around them, kids who have some choices in their learning opportunities, and kids who are seeing the value of learning beyond filling in bubbles on a test.
Please understand, I am not commenting on the abilities of the teachers in the grades following mine. They are all amazing teachers, and they take wonderful care of the kids. But I'm starting to really look at my role and my students' educations very differently. Am I doing them a disservice setting up my classroom in a way that may not be replicated again for 1, 2, 7 or even 11 years? My gut tells me that kids are resilient, and many will adjust to a traditional classroom setting, but should they have to?
I throw this out to those of you who are and have been doing things differently in your classrooms. Whether it's a different behavior management system, different grading or instruction, the incorporation of self-directed or project based learning, or utilizing other types of web 2.0 tools. Do your students go back to traditional classrooms after they leave you, and if so how do they do?
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
If You Could Build An Administrator
I have the very unique opportunity to be part of an entirely new faculty at a brand new intermediate school opening in my district this year. Since last year we have been asked to ponder the possibilities and think about how we would like this school to move us forward with how we teach and how we view our students as learners.
The next phase in this process is the selection of the principal, and today we were asked to share our thoughts on the qualities we would like to see in our new principal. That got me thinking. What are the qualities I most value in administrator? What are the qualities that would best help me grow as a teacher and learner? After some thought, I came up with this list of qualities and possible questions I would ask for each one:
Quality 1: Uses Technology - I need a principal who uses technology to develop professionally
Question 1: How do you use social media / online networking to develop your personal PLN? Which blog do you read or what one person do you follow on Twitter that you feel is most influential for your personal growth?
Topic 2: Understands Instruction with Technology - I need a principal who is familiar with how technology can really be used to help students learn, not just technology as glorified worksheets
Question 2: How do you see teachers utilizing technology in the classrooms at our new school to prepare our students for their lives today and the lives they will lead in the future?
Topic 3: Being Present Our Classrooms - I need a principal who comes to my classroom because he or she wants to see what's going not just because principals have to do observations
Question 3: How often should a principal be in the classrooms? With such a large building how to do propose you will make yourself a positive presence in the school for all of our students?
Topic 4: Supportive of Risk-Taking / Creativity / Thinking Outside the Box - I need a principal who supports and encourages all of these things and then helps teachers reflect upon their teaching
Question 4: A teacher (or team of teachers) approaches you with an idea of how they would like to change instruction based on what they have learned through their PLNs. This is a very different method of teaching, nobody else in the district is doing anything like it, and the teachers cannot currently say whether it will increase test scores. These teachers feel very strongly that this change is a sound teaching / learning strategy that will work for their kids. How do you handle this situation?
Topic 5: Able to Handle Difficult Situations - I need a principal who is able to make difficult decisions and is willing to support teachers in difficult situations (parent situations would be one example)
Question 5: Reflecting upon and learning from each day helps us to continue to grow as teachers and administrators. Tell about a difficult situation you had to handle during your time as an administrator that, upon reflection, you feel you may not have handled as well as you could have. What could you do differently the next time you were faced with this difficult situation?
Topic 6: Transparency - I need a principal who does not play games and is open and honest with everybody at all times.
Topic 6: The faculty of our new school has been working very hard to make connections and learn how to have difficult conversations. How will you continue to foster this community while encouraging its members to be transparent and have open, honest, difficult conversations when needed?
I'll throw this out to you. What do you believe are some of the qualities you need in an administrator to be able to grow as a learner and a leader?
The next phase in this process is the selection of the principal, and today we were asked to share our thoughts on the qualities we would like to see in our new principal. That got me thinking. What are the qualities I most value in administrator? What are the qualities that would best help me grow as a teacher and learner? After some thought, I came up with this list of qualities and possible questions I would ask for each one:
Quality 1: Uses Technology - I need a principal who uses technology to develop professionally
Question 1: How do you use social media / online networking to develop your personal PLN? Which blog do you read or what one person do you follow on Twitter that you feel is most influential for your personal growth?
Topic 2: Understands Instruction with Technology - I need a principal who is familiar with how technology can really be used to help students learn, not just technology as glorified worksheets
Question 2: How do you see teachers utilizing technology in the classrooms at our new school to prepare our students for their lives today and the lives they will lead in the future?
Topic 3: Being Present Our Classrooms - I need a principal who comes to my classroom because he or she wants to see what's going not just because principals have to do observations
Question 3: How often should a principal be in the classrooms? With such a large building how to do propose you will make yourself a positive presence in the school for all of our students?
Topic 4: Supportive of Risk-Taking / Creativity / Thinking Outside the Box - I need a principal who supports and encourages all of these things and then helps teachers reflect upon their teaching
Question 4: A teacher (or team of teachers) approaches you with an idea of how they would like to change instruction based on what they have learned through their PLNs. This is a very different method of teaching, nobody else in the district is doing anything like it, and the teachers cannot currently say whether it will increase test scores. These teachers feel very strongly that this change is a sound teaching / learning strategy that will work for their kids. How do you handle this situation?
Topic 5: Able to Handle Difficult Situations - I need a principal who is able to make difficult decisions and is willing to support teachers in difficult situations (parent situations would be one example)
Question 5: Reflecting upon and learning from each day helps us to continue to grow as teachers and administrators. Tell about a difficult situation you had to handle during your time as an administrator that, upon reflection, you feel you may not have handled as well as you could have. What could you do differently the next time you were faced with this difficult situation?
Topic 6: Transparency - I need a principal who does not play games and is open and honest with everybody at all times.
Topic 6: The faculty of our new school has been working very hard to make connections and learn how to have difficult conversations. How will you continue to foster this community while encouraging its members to be transparent and have open, honest, difficult conversations when needed?
I'll throw this out to you. What do you believe are some of the qualities you need in an administrator to be able to grow as a learner and a leader?
Sunday, January 16, 2011
My Next Opportunity
When we return to school on Tuesday my student teacher will be joining me in the classroom. I am very thankful to have the opportunity to pass along my love and passion for teaching to somebody who is just learning the trade. This is not my first student teacher, but it is the first one in a long time. As I reflect upon my other experience I know I would like to be more present for this young learner.
As with every new opportunity, I'm nervous. On one hand I am worried that I will not provide her with the mentoring she will need to be successful on her journey. On the other hand I'm worried that I will overwhelm her with everything. Personally I am learning so much right now from my online venture. I want to expose her to this new world without going overboard and sending her screaming out the door.
So I ask you: what are your top suggestions for helping a student / pre-service teacher (not sure what this would be called elsewhere my non-United States friends) get the most from their experience? Obviously modeling my relationships and interactions with the students, reflecting upon why she teaches what she does and how she teaches those things, and being transparent with what I do in my classroom are important. But what other valuable suggestions do you have from your positive or not so positive experiences?
As with every new opportunity, I'm nervous. On one hand I am worried that I will not provide her with the mentoring she will need to be successful on her journey. On the other hand I'm worried that I will overwhelm her with everything. Personally I am learning so much right now from my online venture. I want to expose her to this new world without going overboard and sending her screaming out the door.
So I ask you: what are your top suggestions for helping a student / pre-service teacher (not sure what this would be called elsewhere my non-United States friends) get the most from their experience? Obviously modeling my relationships and interactions with the students, reflecting upon why she teaches what she does and how she teaches those things, and being transparent with what I do in my classroom are important. But what other valuable suggestions do you have from your positive or not so positive experiences?
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