This past week has definitely been a test on whether or not I am cut out to be a teacher. We all knew this day would come...
I have begun teaching my freshmen classes and it has been a challenge. Each student is so different that I have to accommodate each individual in order for my lessons to be effective. Talk about differentiated instruction... this has shown me how important it truly is, and also how challenging it can be.
Finding what each student wants and needs is not easy, it is almost a trial and error process... and the error part is never fun. Teaching is one of the hardest professions in my opinion, and I am sure many of you would agree... constantly, we are forced to look at what we can do better, or differently. I tried to put myself in the positions of the student and think of what I would like in a classroom, and when i tried this it failed drastically. I had to look inside myself and say, "Okay, these students are not going to like what I like, and they are not going to want to do what I want to do... what can I do for them?" I thought, and cried a little =), and thought some more. Then, I thought of a person who had a hard time in school, who gets off track easily, and needs explicit directions, just like my students... my fiance.
He is a person who was bullied throughout school and was in trouble all of the time. I needed to look at things from his eyes to see what he would be interested in... and he decided to help me plan my next lesson.
I did an agree /disagree activity and instead of having students move around the classroom, he suggested a hand signal. Then, I started saying the statements I wanted them to form an opinion over such as: If you were in a situation where someone was being harassed, it would be considered bullying. (This is how I think through things, I put myself in a situation)... and he said, "Oh, no, honey, you had me lost at situation." I laughed and said, "Then what should I say." "KEEP IT SIMPLE." What!?? Simple??? This seems too easy! Thinking simple is something I just do not do... I think things through so thoroughly (alliteration) that it drives me crazy! So, these words were exactly what I needed.
I changed my statements to things like "Harassment is bullying" and "People act differently when they wear different clothes." The kids loved it, they followed directions, and it was very conducive. I cannot wait to see what this next week brings!
I like how you are willing to make adjustments to better suit the students needs. When I orginally planned the unit I am teaching I did a lot of thinking about what would be fun and what did I think they would like to learn about. After doing a KWL chart and reading through the "what they want to know" I have added a new opener to each day called - question of the day. I did not go into the historical background very much because I did not want to bore them but now it turns out that they want that information. I have adjusted everything now in order to answer those questions as we work our way through the unit. I think we are all learning just how important it is to be flexible and adapt to the needs of our students.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work.