(no subject)
some of my friends truly suck. well, i wouldn't call them true friends... but, whatever. they're the kind of friends i hang out with when i have nothing better to do. but, usually, i have something better to do.
anyway. i am so beat! my mentor teacher is really coming down hard on me... she's very critical. it's obvious that she's jealous of my coteacher and i's abilities to handle the children in a way that is not screaming and yelling at them. just the other day, she told me i was "too energetic" for first graders. haha. huh. i just about died when she said this, because the truth is... i'm NOT too energetic for first graders (i can actually keep their attention, because of my enthusiasm to teach), but i am too energetic for her. this is something she's picked apart. she told me that the children are not able to work in groups, perform certain tasks, and don't respond to niceness. incorrect. we have not only raised the level pf participation...but every single day, we both get a gaggle of compliments from the children--"we LOVE you teachers!" "you are so much fun!" "can you stay forever?"... no wonder our mentor is jealous. the kids loathe her because 1. she's mean to them. 2. she doubts their capabilities and kids are not blind to this...even in first grade. and 3. she's uninterested in them anymore... all her activities are worksheet-based. she's not interactive. she sits at her desk and does other teacher's lesson plans. she doesn't even create anything herself.
i experienced one of the neatest things the other day. my focus student, who was seen as challenging, has developed so much. when i first observed him during her teaching, he was always off-task... unfocused (which, i could barely stand to sit still, so i don't know how some first graders do it with her)... and bored. he told me he had no friends in class. he didn't like school. he couldn't read. etc. etc. etc. really, really negative things. he had to sit in the front of the room, away from the rest of the students. he wasn't allowed to talk. it was a horrible situation. well, since day one... i've been working diligently with him--without making it blatantly obvious. we sat the children in groups, putting him next to a girl that i thought he'd get along great with. i was right. all the activities the children do, now that we're teaching, are group or partner-based lessons. something the children had not been exposed to in their classroom before. he's opened up so much. just the other day, he walked up to me... gave me a hug...and told me i was his favorite teacher ever and he liked me so much. i seriously wanted to cry. he has never hugged anyone that i've observed. it meant so much to hear this from him. i invest so much of my teaching into things that would benefit him, and i'm so proud that it has not gone unnoticed by him. i truly want him to grow stronger as a student and person every day. i can't credit myself with everything, but i feel as though i've helped make a difference in his life.
in fact, my focus student is so involved with his classmates now... he's got a group of friends he works well with in the class. he's playing with them at recess. plus, his grades and comprehension scores have beyond-skyrocketed. he got so excited about some of our activities (based around suped-up cars) that he chose to take extra homework so he could work more on his project in class. his behavior is unmatched, too. i can remember hearing his teacher constantly threaten to call his home before we took over class. now, we've had no issues.
my mentor teacher may be a huge, cynical, bitch. she's rude to my coteacher and me. she's constantly judging everything we do. but, she can't ruin this experience for me. because, it's students like D, that make it all worth the pain she puts me through. well, i'm off to the library. i promised D i would pick him up a bunch of Arthur books, because he loves them. i've been making special trips there to get him books to read on a weekly basis...
:)
"children don't respond to kindness..." yeah, fucking, right. if they don't have a teacher who believes in them... then they aren't going to try. i believe in them.
small bday get-together tonight. st. patty's day was great with andie! i love that girl. the big bday bash is next week, when people are back from spring break.
--meg
anyway. i am so beat! my mentor teacher is really coming down hard on me... she's very critical. it's obvious that she's jealous of my coteacher and i's abilities to handle the children in a way that is not screaming and yelling at them. just the other day, she told me i was "too energetic" for first graders. haha. huh. i just about died when she said this, because the truth is... i'm NOT too energetic for first graders (i can actually keep their attention, because of my enthusiasm to teach), but i am too energetic for her. this is something she's picked apart. she told me that the children are not able to work in groups, perform certain tasks, and don't respond to niceness. incorrect. we have not only raised the level pf participation...but every single day, we both get a gaggle of compliments from the children--"we LOVE you teachers!" "you are so much fun!" "can you stay forever?"... no wonder our mentor is jealous. the kids loathe her because 1. she's mean to them. 2. she doubts their capabilities and kids are not blind to this...even in first grade. and 3. she's uninterested in them anymore... all her activities are worksheet-based. she's not interactive. she sits at her desk and does other teacher's lesson plans. she doesn't even create anything herself.
i experienced one of the neatest things the other day. my focus student, who was seen as challenging, has developed so much. when i first observed him during her teaching, he was always off-task... unfocused (which, i could barely stand to sit still, so i don't know how some first graders do it with her)... and bored. he told me he had no friends in class. he didn't like school. he couldn't read. etc. etc. etc. really, really negative things. he had to sit in the front of the room, away from the rest of the students. he wasn't allowed to talk. it was a horrible situation. well, since day one... i've been working diligently with him--without making it blatantly obvious. we sat the children in groups, putting him next to a girl that i thought he'd get along great with. i was right. all the activities the children do, now that we're teaching, are group or partner-based lessons. something the children had not been exposed to in their classroom before. he's opened up so much. just the other day, he walked up to me... gave me a hug...and told me i was his favorite teacher ever and he liked me so much. i seriously wanted to cry. he has never hugged anyone that i've observed. it meant so much to hear this from him. i invest so much of my teaching into things that would benefit him, and i'm so proud that it has not gone unnoticed by him. i truly want him to grow stronger as a student and person every day. i can't credit myself with everything, but i feel as though i've helped make a difference in his life.
in fact, my focus student is so involved with his classmates now... he's got a group of friends he works well with in the class. he's playing with them at recess. plus, his grades and comprehension scores have beyond-skyrocketed. he got so excited about some of our activities (based around suped-up cars) that he chose to take extra homework so he could work more on his project in class. his behavior is unmatched, too. i can remember hearing his teacher constantly threaten to call his home before we took over class. now, we've had no issues.
my mentor teacher may be a huge, cynical, bitch. she's rude to my coteacher and me. she's constantly judging everything we do. but, she can't ruin this experience for me. because, it's students like D, that make it all worth the pain she puts me through. well, i'm off to the library. i promised D i would pick him up a bunch of Arthur books, because he loves them. i've been making special trips there to get him books to read on a weekly basis...
:)
"children don't respond to kindness..." yeah, fucking, right. if they don't have a teacher who believes in them... then they aren't going to try. i believe in them.
small bday get-together tonight. st. patty's day was great with andie! i love that girl. the big bday bash is next week, when people are back from spring break.
--meg