Into the Groove
What an auspicious start to the new school year.
I have a lovely class, lovely families, a lovely team and a lovely dose of new confidence. Confidence makes everything easier. I've got that Border Collie-like eye, the stare down, and I barely even have to use it. I almost feel I can be less strict with this bunch and yet still command their respect.
So we've been having a jolly old time. Now that I am even more confident than before, I feel that I have made the most strides in the engagement of students. My lessons are just more fun because I'm less worried about riling them up to unmanageable levels. A couple families have told me that their kids love coming to school and are having a great year.
I've seen how my influence permeates other aspects of the students' life. One mom wrote to me and said that her daughter brought home the fake money I give the students. She paid her parents and then put on a song and dance show for them. They had to pay admission and pay for refreshments. Afterward, the girl said, "Next time you want money, you'll have to earn it!" and the mom said, "Ok, but does laundry count?" That's too funny. I love hearing stories like these.
Today few of professors came to watch two of my science lessons. Two were from UCSB, and one was visiting from the University of Melbourne. Believe you me, I was nervous. I mean, I get a little stage fright around adults, not to mention super-educated ones.
I did a lesson about the phases of the moon. Each kid held a styrofoam ball and I turned out the lights so that all they could see was the lamplight at the front. The ball was the moon, the lamp, obviously the sun, and their own head was the earth. I guided them through all the positions of the moon during all the phases, and they were able to see the patterns with their own eyes. Try it sometime... it works.
Anyhow, I wasn't sure how they'd like it, especially because I was pretty nervous through the first lesson (I taught the same lesson to two different classes). Quite the contrary. They dug it big time. The UCSB professors asked if they could come videotape a lesson or two of mine sometime, and if it would be OK to bring a group of ten or so student teachers into science class sometime to observe. I was totally flattered and said "Of course."
Me and my big mouth. Still, this kind of flattery is good for ye oldde confidence... and confident teachers just do better. They just walk a little differently than the newbies. Kids are even more astute than dogs at picking up body language cues and adjusting their behavior accordingly. This kind of thing is right up my alley... even if it means a little more work and pressure in my life.
After the first year, I wasn't so sure about this profession. Man, am I glad I stuck it out!
I have a lovely class, lovely families, a lovely team and a lovely dose of new confidence. Confidence makes everything easier. I've got that Border Collie-like eye, the stare down, and I barely even have to use it. I almost feel I can be less strict with this bunch and yet still command their respect.
So we've been having a jolly old time. Now that I am even more confident than before, I feel that I have made the most strides in the engagement of students. My lessons are just more fun because I'm less worried about riling them up to unmanageable levels. A couple families have told me that their kids love coming to school and are having a great year.
I've seen how my influence permeates other aspects of the students' life. One mom wrote to me and said that her daughter brought home the fake money I give the students. She paid her parents and then put on a song and dance show for them. They had to pay admission and pay for refreshments. Afterward, the girl said, "Next time you want money, you'll have to earn it!" and the mom said, "Ok, but does laundry count?" That's too funny. I love hearing stories like these.
Today few of professors came to watch two of my science lessons. Two were from UCSB, and one was visiting from the University of Melbourne. Believe you me, I was nervous. I mean, I get a little stage fright around adults, not to mention super-educated ones.
I did a lesson about the phases of the moon. Each kid held a styrofoam ball and I turned out the lights so that all they could see was the lamplight at the front. The ball was the moon, the lamp, obviously the sun, and their own head was the earth. I guided them through all the positions of the moon during all the phases, and they were able to see the patterns with their own eyes. Try it sometime... it works.
Anyhow, I wasn't sure how they'd like it, especially because I was pretty nervous through the first lesson (I taught the same lesson to two different classes). Quite the contrary. They dug it big time. The UCSB professors asked if they could come videotape a lesson or two of mine sometime, and if it would be OK to bring a group of ten or so student teachers into science class sometime to observe. I was totally flattered and said "Of course."
Me and my big mouth. Still, this kind of flattery is good for ye oldde confidence... and confident teachers just do better. They just walk a little differently than the newbies. Kids are even more astute than dogs at picking up body language cues and adjusting their behavior accordingly. This kind of thing is right up my alley... even if it means a little more work and pressure in my life.
After the first year, I wasn't so sure about this profession. Man, am I glad I stuck it out!