Headache from hell. 9 a.m. Trying to kill it with a cafe mocha and blueberry scone. And some tylenol. Blame Wordsworth. Tried to teach the Preface to Lyrical Ballads twice before 10 a.m
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You know, I had to teach for a couple of years, a while back. I hated it with a passion. I'm apparently incapable to explain a thing in more than one way, so if the students are smart enough to get it the first time, ok, otherwise... Then I had to give a different kind of lessons, less theoretical and more practical. I had to teach them how to build indicators to analyze a region. Therefore the students were each seated at a pc, and I was wandering around explaining things (I admit in most cases I had to explain the basics of using Excel, instead of explaining the indicators). Suddenly, everything was fine and the students loved me (or so it seemed). And they understood everything! So I think I can get how you feel... Lecturing is hard! With an headache I can imagine it's a nightmare! :)
Empathy works as well as recs, actually. :) I didn't know you had taught before. It seems like every time I post about teaching, a new teacher (or former one) comes out of the woodwork.
I know I'm better at discussion and group work, but I thought I'd at least gotten competent at lecture. At least I knew what I was getting into (unlike last year when I taught it for the first time), and I talked through it at home and it sounded okay. I really do blame my headache. I could just tell that my powers of language and connecting language to, you know, my BRAIN, weren't working so well. But I can usually make the more informal dicsussion mode work for me, even with a migraine.
I was only 4 years older than my students when I started teaching. It WAS nerve-wracking. (I also taught a 44 year old man once, who had a daughter my age. That was...interesting.)
Teaching IS satisfying work for me--it's what I think I was meant to do--so that's probably why I get so annoyed when I can't make it work. But today wasn't the worst day teaching I've ever had, by a long shot. And I've got a good group of students this semester. I just have to keep that in mind. :)
I read the Lyrical Ballads for fun. I even bought the book (though it's preface-free, though not introduction by the translator-free. How big of a nerd am I? It's been a while since I even looked at the book, but it worked for me back then.
The closest I've come to teaching has been teaching English as a second language to a poor teenage boy. As far as I can remember he wasn't any dumber by the time it was all over. I did learn I don't have what it takes to be a teacher (though I may end up falling back on the tutoring thing if I can't find a second job soon).
Hope the headache is gone. And while I can't make any promises, I'd love to try to write you a little something. Lost only, I'm afraid.
NO no no, there's nothing wrong with Lyrical Ballads. It's just that the Preface is BORING as SHIT. But I kind of like Wordsworth's poetry.
Some people just don't take to teaching. Other's scrape by, do okay. I think I wouldn't get so annoyed with myself if I didn't know I'm meant to be a teacher. I get a little too invested in how well my classes do. If I have a bad day teaching, it's often a bad day period. But this one turned out okay in the end, thankfully. :)
You're a dear to offer to write me something. If you're still loking for an excuse to write and you feel like digging around in Desmond or Claire's brains, I'm all ears. :) Or, hell, anybody's. If and only if.
was it the lesson that bored you to plan in the first place? because that has a huge impact, I experienced.
there are days that no matter what you try, lectures just don't flow. I tell you, another day and maybe it would have been ok. I think it's great that you changed the format with the second group.
what kind of fun are you looking for? anything specific???
Yes, indeed, I'm sure it was a problem with being bored with Wordsworth myself.
there are days that no matter what you try, lectures just don't flow. Thanks for that. I know it's true, but I needed to hear someone else say it. :)
I'm a big fan of changing gears if something doesn't work. I figure, if you can't make it worse, you might make it better. Sometimes I'll even admit to them that it's not working. I've had some really great days teaching where I had to just stop and say, "Okay, let's forget what we've been doing and figuring things out another way."
I feel the same way when I get up in front of my class (today was my first day back...)--it just doesn't FLOW, sometimes, and all that comes out of my mouth feels like dreck, and then oh my god just get into groups.
I actually really hate lecturing on general principle--I infinitely prefer one-on-one conferences, which is why I schedule them with each new essay that I teach. (I also don't like teaching essays, particularly. But that's my curriculum, pre-determined, so, yes.)
This isn't necessarily any good rec, but at least, like the above, empathy.
And actually, I recommend brainless fluffy fun reading. It's what I do when I need to unwind and get the hell away from school...usually romance novels or other sillyness.
all that comes out of my mouth feels like dreck, and then oh my god just get into groups.
HA HA, that was me this morning. Except plus the brain-fogging headache. I don't think kids learn very well from lectures in a class like literature or composition. I much prefer to have discussion or group work. And when I do have to lecture, I try to treat it more like guiding them through a reading or something, where I'm asking questions and getting them to participate as much as possible. But this morning--they weren't having it, and my fuzzy brain wasn't allowing words to come out of my mouth in a way other than a ramble, one that sounded so bad to me it threw me off. Gah.
Anyway, the second class was better. And I definitely did my share of wallowing and avoiding school when I got hom. :)
Well, if it's any consolation, in smaller classes, I tend to prefer group and face-to-face individual discussions to sitting through a lecture. I can become much more immersed in the reading that way.
I have one of the least articulate English teachers I have ever had this year. He's a good guy and all, and god bless him, he tries, but he rambles, and reads the poetry really awkwardly (and his doctorate is Romantic Poetry for goodness sake). It's hard to get into sometimes. Except this for the fact that there’s this one guy in my class, god bless him, who knows his shit and makes these really excellent points about the readings that I think my professor is trying to get to, but can't quite seem to. I love having smart people in my classes verses people that are there for the credit and could care less about the material.
I love having smart people in my classes verses people that are there for the credit and could care less about the material.
Me too! Teachers LOVE those kids. They scare the hell out of us from time to time, but they keep us on our toes and they make our jobs SO much easier.
You know, I'm probably a lot like your teacher, except I don't even have a doctorate or an Emphasis in Romanticism going for me (I do twentieth century American lit, LOL). *facepalm*
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Then I had to give a different kind of lessons, less theoretical and more practical. I had to teach them how to build indicators to analyze a region. Therefore the students were each seated at a pc, and I was wandering around explaining things (I admit in most cases I had to explain the basics of using Excel, instead of explaining the indicators). Suddenly, everything was fine and the students loved me (or so it seemed). And they understood everything!
So I think I can get how you feel... Lecturing is hard! With an headache I can imagine it's a nightmare!
:)
No recs though, sorry...
Reply
I know I'm better at discussion and group work, but I thought I'd at least gotten competent at lecture. At least I knew what I was getting into (unlike last year when I taught it for the first time), and I talked through it at home and it sounded okay. I really do blame my headache. I could just tell that my powers of language and connecting language to, you know, my BRAIN, weren't working so well. But I can usually make the more informal dicsussion mode work for me, even with a migraine.
Oh, well. At least I'm 1 for 2 today. ;)
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Teaching IS satisfying work for me--it's what I think I was meant to do--so that's probably why I get so annoyed when I can't make it work. But today wasn't the worst day teaching I've ever had, by a long shot. And I've got a good group of students this semester. I just have to keep that in mind. :)
Reply
The closest I've come to teaching has been teaching English as a second language to a poor teenage boy. As far as I can remember he wasn't any dumber by the time it was all over. I did learn I don't have what it takes to be a teacher (though I may end up falling back on the tutoring thing if I can't find a second job soon).
Hope the headache is gone. And while I can't make any promises, I'd love to try to write you a little something. Lost only, I'm afraid.
Reply
Some people just don't take to teaching. Other's scrape by, do okay. I think I wouldn't get so annoyed with myself if I didn't know I'm meant to be a teacher. I get a little too invested in how well my classes do. If I have a bad day teaching, it's often a bad day period. But this one turned out okay in the end, thankfully. :)
You're a dear to offer to write me something. If you're still loking for an excuse to write and you feel like digging around in Desmond or Claire's brains, I'm all ears. :) Or, hell, anybody's. If and only if.
*smooches*
Reply
there are days that no matter what you try, lectures just don't flow. I tell you, another day and maybe it would have been ok. I think it's great that you changed the format with the second group.
what kind of fun are you looking for? anything specific???
*massages your scalp*
Reply
there are days that no matter what you try, lectures just don't flow. Thanks for that. I know it's true, but I needed to hear someone else say it. :)
I'm a big fan of changing gears if something doesn't work. I figure, if you can't make it worse, you might make it better. Sometimes I'll even admit to them that it's not working. I've had some really great days teaching where I had to just stop and say, "Okay, let's forget what we've been doing and figuring things out another way."
*smooches*
Reply
I actually really hate lecturing on general principle--I infinitely prefer one-on-one conferences, which is why I schedule them with each new essay that I teach. (I also don't like teaching essays, particularly. But that's my curriculum, pre-determined, so, yes.)
This isn't necessarily any good rec, but at least, like the above, empathy.
And actually, I recommend brainless fluffy fun reading. It's what I do when I need to unwind and get the hell away from school...usually romance novels or other sillyness.
*hugs & love & des*
Reply
HA HA, that was me this morning. Except plus the brain-fogging headache. I don't think kids learn very well from lectures in a class like literature or composition. I much prefer to have discussion or group work. And when I do have to lecture, I try to treat it more like guiding them through a reading or something, where I'm asking questions and getting them to participate as much as possible. But this morning--they weren't having it, and my fuzzy brain wasn't allowing words to come out of my mouth in a way other than a ramble, one that sounded so bad to me it threw me off. Gah.
Anyway, the second class was better. And I definitely did my share of wallowing and avoiding school when I got hom. :)
Reply
I have one of the least articulate English teachers I have ever had this year. He's a good guy and all, and god bless him, he tries, but he rambles, and reads the poetry really awkwardly (and his doctorate is Romantic Poetry for goodness sake). It's hard to get into sometimes. Except this for the fact that there’s this one guy in my class, god bless him, who knows his shit and makes these really excellent points about the readings that I think my professor is trying to get to, but can't quite seem to. I love having smart people in my classes verses people that are there for the credit and could care less about the material.
Reply
Me too! Teachers LOVE those kids. They scare the hell out of us from time to time, but they keep us on our toes and they make our jobs SO much easier.
You know, I'm probably a lot like your teacher, except I don't even have a doctorate or an Emphasis in Romanticism going for me (I do twentieth century American lit, LOL). *facepalm*
Reply
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