So, I just finished student teaching, and I couldn't be more excited! The tough part is over and all I have to do now is create a professional portfolio and I'm done! Halleluia. I'll tell you, It's been a long road getting here. Five-and-a-half years of school behind me and a whole life full of many possibilities ahead of me.
I found student teaching to be a whole lot harder than I thought. I walked into a situation where the students loved their teacher and therefore hated me because I was not their teacher. It took so much work and a lot of tears just to get them to accept me. Don't get me wrong, I didn't cry to them - you can't let them see that they are getting to you. There was even one point where I thought that I had wasted these last five years of school because I wasn't meant to be a teacher. But, hearts soon softened and I finally found a place among my students and the classes. Through that experience, I have developed a list of 10 tools to use when student teaching:
1. There is such a thing and too nice and too mean, and both are stupid. Find your own happy medium.
2. There is no shame in bribery in the form of food.
3. Have fun!
4. Students need adults, and in this case their teacher, to celebrate with them when they do well. And the stupider you look when you are celebrating, the more the students love you, i.e. dancing, fist pumping, strange noises, etc.
5. Procedures, Procedures, Procedures! If you don't teach the students how to act, how will they know how to act? Take time teach the students what to do in different situations.
6. Don't be afraid to scold or discipline the students. Poor behavior needs to be corrected or it will never stop.
7. It's also okay to show disappointment in the students. If the adult that is normally celebrating with a student shows disappointment for unacceptable behavior or performance in anything, that student makes an extra effort to be better so that their supporter again has something to celebrate.
8. As said earlier, don't let them see that they are getting to you.
9. Did I say have fun? Why would the student even try if there's nothing interesting going on in your class?
10.Kids LOVE stories, no matter what age they are. They especially love stories about you, the teacher.
3 comments:
So, it is true. Teaching is a battle of wills.
I am proud of you for "toughing it out." I am sure that you earned their respect by sticking to your guns.
Wow. This next year will see lots of changes I am sure as Nick finishes school and you embark on whatever God has planned for you.
I love you.
WHAT IS UP!!!!!! You guys never told me you had a blog. Don't I matter. Didn't you notice an absence of april and dustin? Search yourself and you will recognize what that emptiness is.
Just kidding, kind of. Congratulations Jamie. You are my hero for being so disciplined to stick it out. I wish we could be there to cheer for you. I love the pictures. I loved watching you guys in your play I was soooo entertained.
If only I had known you were student teaching, I could have told you these things from day 1. Just remember that what you learned there, will be very useful when you start teaching. I always tell new teachers that you cannot judge teaching by your student teaching experience and your first year of teaching. They are the toughest and if the kids liked their old teacher, what a tough go. However, knowing you, you will make a GREAT teacher! Good Luck
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