Real Time Lesson Planning

Tuesday’s class was very exciting for me. It was reassuring and energizing to see lesson planning in real time. One of my biggest anxieties is creating a great lesson plans that drive a class and guide students to think and thrive. While watching the lesson planning I tried to be critical and question what I was seeing before me. One thing I found cool about that is as I would question parts of the lesson plan, Kim or the other teacher would address my question.  For example, I was concerned that students would start to give up or get frustrated with the Do Now exercise because they were being asked to categorize types of conflicts before they had even gone over the topic in class. Almost immediately after I wrote that in my notes Kim or the other male teacher said that it would be a good idea to walk around and reassure students that the point was not to try to be one hundred percent correct, but just to try. That was big for me because not only did it show that they were thinking about how their students may feel with the task, but they were taking the focus away from being correct, but rather, what the content was.

 

Before watching the co-teaching lesson plan I didn’t really think much of co-teaching. Now I am completely sold on the concept. I feel like team teaching is powerful and effective because it helps to create a more solid lesson plan. One of the things I’ve always been told is to try to not get too lost in my head as I plan, to keep checking that the plan is cohesive and step by step. Like with writing, it can be easy to move at too quickly of a pace and think that students will be able to follow along because as the teacher, you already know the content at hand.  Being able to talk out the plan and bounce ideas off of each other helps to create a plan that is fluid and compelling. You also can brainstorm how your students are going to act and what questions they may have.

 

Knowing your students has been a constant theme in this class. We all keep hearing that students want you to get to know them, that it’s your job to get to know them, and it’s like you’re a second parent to them while they are in your classroom. More so than ever do I see how crucial it is. Kim displayed that knowing is the key to guiding your students to effectively learn. Creating differentiated planning, and spicing things up with elements that not only aid audio learners but visual and kinesthetic learners helps for everyone to learn. From interest inventories to lesson plans, to just establishing a positive relationship with students, keeping their needs and strengths in mind is something that every teacher must do.  I’ve always known that to be at my core, but more so than ever I feel pumped up and energized to get to teaching.  I want more classes like that one.

My Purpose

One thing that really resonated with me from last class was the idea of purpose in the teaching field. I’m sure we’ve all felt a scorn or a laugh when we’ve told someone that we are in college to be teachers. Of course, not everyone feels that teaching isn’t a great profession. I’ve had many people say that teaching is an excellent field and that teachers are always needed. However some people, mainly my family, think that teaching isn’t the best way to go in term of a career. They are more concerned with my financial stability. They have good intentions; they want me to be well off. They’ve even said things like, well if you’re going to teach, you should teach math so you actually get a job.

That’s as close as a compromise I’m going to get though. They don’t share my philosophy that you have to do something that makes you happy. I could have the well-paying job in the world but if I don’t like the job or I feel like I’m not making a positive impact on society then I feel as though the work is meaningless.

I know how much some of my former teachers have impacted me, and that’s exactly what I would love to do for someone else. There’s a quote out there that goes along the lines of, “If you don’t work to make your dreams come true then you’re working to help make someone else’s come true.” I could never do that, be some sort of office zombie. But in a way, the quote is completely true to me. I will be making my dreams come true by guiding students along and teaching them in order to help them get to a place, whether that is college, military, or even just graduating high school, where they can begin to make their own dreams come true.

Parent Panel

I found the parent panel in class to be very interesting and insightful. It occurred to me in class that I had never really thought about parents and meeting with them in my teaching career. I've always been focused on students and thinking of ways to reach them all in lesson plans. There was a lot of things that the parents said that I found helpful. I like how they said that phone calls are usually the best way of reaching them. One of my biggest take aways is that I shouldn't just call when issues arise. Making positive phone calls about their children is always pleasant and can also establish a positive relationship with students. It says to the student, I’m here for you, and I notice your weaknesses as well as your strengths. It also establishes a better connection with the parent to the student’s school life.

However, I did have some questions after the panel. The parents seemed very interested and willing to know about their children in school, a few of them said that if we see a change in their behavior we should notify them right away. Personally, I don’t feel as though that is always a good idea. We as teachers should find a balance between looking out for our students and overly watching them. Maybe we don’t know the student well enough to make such a quick call. Or maybe calling home isn’t always such a good idea. What if we report a change in the students’ behavior to their parents and that only makes the issue worse. As teachers if we don’t meet the parents or have had a conversation with the student about their home life, then we have no way of knowing if the child has a safe home life. Our classrooms should be a safe space for our students, and we as teachers must find a balance between reporting to parents and being there for students who may need to keep their minor issues to themselves.

Being that role of a teacher has always been one full of layers of grey areas. All I can really say is I will be a teacher who will strive to make both good and bad calls, but will strive to have a good enough relationship where students will feel safe in confiding in me if they need an adult to talk to and cannot go to their parents/ guardians.