Discoveries and Disenchantment.
Week 2 - check! So I survived my first FULL week of teaching all day, planning three different lesson plans for six different classes, all the while trying to stay ahead on the reading of three different novels and get my homework done for my night classes. Oh - and did I mention I'm growing a child as well? Yep, the ultimate trump card for one-upping. You're student teaching? Well I'm student teaching AND growing a human. End of conversation. :)
The Good Stuff:
I am really enjoying the high school environment. The juniors and seniors I teach (while annoyingly lazy and irresponsible at times) are also mature enough to carry on an adult conversations and witty enough to make some good jokes every now and then. There are also the handful of really bright kids in each class that make you feel like, "YES! Someone is actually absorbing this!" I've discovered that most of the things I worried I would struggle with are not that big of a deal. I don't have discipline problems, so classroom management is pretty easy.
As for the teaching itself...I love it! I feel like as soon as that bell rings and I step in front of the class I am 100% comfortable. I know my material, I have a plan, and I have a learning goal in mind. The grading isn't too bad, the day flies by, my mentor teacher is supportive and complimentary and the other faculty members have been equally kind and supportive.
The Bad Stuff:
The lesson prep takes a lot of time, mostly because I am trying to think 7 weeks ahead to the end of the quarter and figure out everything they need to know before that time is up. Also, after the school day is over, grades are entered and I get home, I find myself pretty worn out. I may have to just start staying later at school to work on my own homework so I don't crash when I get home.
Student teaching definitely dissolves any idea you may have had of students sitting on the edge of their desk, lapping up every droplet of knowledge you offer them and panting for more. Nope, not the case at all. Even the good students will just roll along with whatever you have planned, but aren't necessarily thirsting for more. This may be in part because I teach the regular English kids and all the Honors and AP students that like English are in other courses. The kids in my class have to be there to graduate. I get that. I understand that they may not like my subject or want to be in my class, but I have been getting extremely frustrated with how lazy some of them are! I have examples, but this post is getting over-long as it is. Basically, I am just feeling a little discouraged in the "rising generation" and worry about the kind of college students/workers/parents they will become if they don't know how to work now. I also don't know how to motivate them if they're not driven by the desire to do well or to learn something new or get good grades or even to graduate. Any advice or suggestions are more than welcome!
I guess this is the beauty of student teaching - seeing the good, the bad, and the ugly and decided that this some-what thankless career is still the work you want to dedicate your life to, because there is potentially ONE student out there who will hear what you're trying to say and be changed by it. Now that is an enchanting thought.
The Good Stuff:
I am really enjoying the high school environment. The juniors and seniors I teach (while annoyingly lazy and irresponsible at times) are also mature enough to carry on an adult conversations and witty enough to make some good jokes every now and then. There are also the handful of really bright kids in each class that make you feel like, "YES! Someone is actually absorbing this!" I've discovered that most of the things I worried I would struggle with are not that big of a deal. I don't have discipline problems, so classroom management is pretty easy.
As for the teaching itself...I love it! I feel like as soon as that bell rings and I step in front of the class I am 100% comfortable. I know my material, I have a plan, and I have a learning goal in mind. The grading isn't too bad, the day flies by, my mentor teacher is supportive and complimentary and the other faculty members have been equally kind and supportive.
The Bad Stuff:
The lesson prep takes a lot of time, mostly because I am trying to think 7 weeks ahead to the end of the quarter and figure out everything they need to know before that time is up. Also, after the school day is over, grades are entered and I get home, I find myself pretty worn out. I may have to just start staying later at school to work on my own homework so I don't crash when I get home.
Student teaching definitely dissolves any idea you may have had of students sitting on the edge of their desk, lapping up every droplet of knowledge you offer them and panting for more. Nope, not the case at all. Even the good students will just roll along with whatever you have planned, but aren't necessarily thirsting for more. This may be in part because I teach the regular English kids and all the Honors and AP students that like English are in other courses. The kids in my class have to be there to graduate. I get that. I understand that they may not like my subject or want to be in my class, but I have been getting extremely frustrated with how lazy some of them are! I have examples, but this post is getting over-long as it is. Basically, I am just feeling a little discouraged in the "rising generation" and worry about the kind of college students/workers/parents they will become if they don't know how to work now. I also don't know how to motivate them if they're not driven by the desire to do well or to learn something new or get good grades or even to graduate. Any advice or suggestions are more than welcome!
I guess this is the beauty of student teaching - seeing the good, the bad, and the ugly and decided that this some-what thankless career is still the work you want to dedicate your life to, because there is potentially ONE student out there who will hear what you're trying to say and be changed by it. Now that is an enchanting thought.
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