As I read the article I was encouraged and inspired. I knew not every tool would be of use to me because it's important to be true to myself as a teacher. Some were far outside my comfort zone but I appreciated the opportunity for options. In our journey as beginning teachers we have been taught that a large percentage of our interactions can be managed through proper classroom management. And it is important to understand who you are as a teacher but it's almost MORE important to know who you are NOT as a beginning teacher.
I reflected on the techniques I was using, the chaos that had overwhelmed me in that first lesson and realized that I was using techniques that I had observed but I was not entirely confident or even comfortable with. I needed to recognize this in my practice and evaluate what would work. I recognize that it is important to try a number of techniques so there are several to draw on in a classroom. Over the next months of teaching I hope to use some of this gained knowledge and move forward in finding new and useful ways of engaging my students and creating a classroom that is both inviting and respectful.
Artifact #2: Educators value the involvement and support of parents, guardians, families and communities in schools
One of the many opportunities teachers have is to engage parents in the classroom atmosphere. Depending on the school it may be easy to involve many parents or it could pose a challenge because of availability. I am thrilled to be in a school that has parent helpers galore. My first encounter with a classroom full of eager parents happened during Halloween. My teacher mentor had planned a pumpkin carving event. I heard many other teachers call him "brave" and were impressed by his enthusiasm for the activity. Sadly he was called away for an emergency and it was left to myself and a TOC to carry out this crazy, fun activity. I was so pleased to find a classroom FULL of parents the morning of the carving. Almost every student had a helper; parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle. It was a great morning and the students carved the most beautiful pumpkins with character and pizzaz!
This experience gave me the opportunity to value parents and family members in their role as colleagues in the education of their students. It also helped me to see the benefit of observing interactions between children and their families. These observations have informed my knowledge of who my students are and given me some insight into the various roles students fill and how they function outside of school.
Artifact #3: Social Justice
Artifact #4: Educators value and care for all students and act in their best interests
When the student above came to me with her concern I really had one of two choices. I could hear her out and discuss her concerns, hashing out the best way to address them together or I could hear her concerns, thank her for them and send her on the way. I consciously chose the prior as an experiment in embracing student interaction and concern for the classroom and this was the dialogue that followed, as closely as I can remember it...S: Mrs. Davenport, I wanted to talk to you about the movie choice for our class.
Me: Okay S, what was on your mind?
S: I know we voted as a class for the movie Despicable Me 2 but Y says he's feeling nervous about watching the movie because the purple minions in the movie are scary for him.
Me: Well S, that's very thoughtful of you. What is bothering you about Y feeling nervous?
S: Well, sometimes when Y gets upset and is scared or cries it makes me feel uncomfortable and I think that if we know that Y will feel scared when we watch the movie I won't enjoy watching the movie because I'll be upset.
Me: Hmmm, thank you S for your thoughtfulness. What do you think a good solution would be for us as a class to help ensure that all of us are happy with the choice?
S: Well, we voted on several different movies. Maybe we could watch the one that came in second for votes instead.
Me: That's a great idea S. I think we should perhaps talk about that tomorrow as a class and discuss why we would make that choice.
S: Okay, thanks Mrs. Davenport.
As it turned out Y was away the next day and no discussion was needed. I took a moment to ensure that S understood why we weren't switching movies after all and she was happy with the outcome. For me that discussion played a pivotal role in my ability as a classroom teacher to embrace the goal of care and valuing each of my students. It took little effort on my part, really just a few minutes of listening and a willingness to collaborate with the students. But the impact that had on one student to be kind and considerate was immeasurable and provided powerful evidence of my responsibility to the whole learner.
Artifact #5: Pedagogical Sensitivity
One of the areas that is a constant balancing act in the classroom is this idea of pedagogical sensitivity. The responsibility that every teacher has to know their students, know their abilities, both strengths and weaknesses, and to tailor curriculum, teaching practises and interactions to the needs of the individual. It can be challenging to say the least, considering we are all so unique in our make-up and educationally speaking, there really are so many ways in which we reach the students in our classroom.
One of the opportunities that I saw this need for differentiation came from two students who struggled with written output. They were both smart students with wonderful ideas that I loved hearing but when it came time for them to put those ideas on paper it was a PAINFUL process. They would sit for an entire lesson with one line written on a piece of paper, frustrated by the thoughts whirling and the inability to get it all written down. As a teacher, watching your students struggle is painful. You just want to see them succeed and feel that thrill of achievement. I toyed with some options and even sat down at various points to scribe for them but realized quickly this was not a sustainable option. It didn’t take long before the idea of using technology surfaced as a feasible option. I started with using my computer and a simple text/dictation software. This worked okay but took awhile since it really isn’t the latest technology and the user/technology didn’t always work so well together. However, when the teacher I was working alongside showed me the newly purchased classroom iPad, I jumped at the chance to use that. We started using some very simple, easy to navigate, dictation software and before I knew these students were doubling their speed of completing written work. Granted it still took longer than the average student but they were completing work and looking forward to using the software to help them.
As the teacher, I was so proud to see these well-formulated thoughts finally getting onto “paper” and seeing the look of success on their faces was priceless. Now I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that this was not the key to 100% success, there are always still issues of motivation and struggles that are really out of a teacher’s hands. However, it was a step in the right direction for them and gave them a taste of what they should be feeling in the classroom on a regular basis.
Artifact #6: Educators engage in lifelong learning.
One of the expectations teachers have of themselves, and many a parent has these same expectations, is to be “experts” in all things. One of the things that students KNOW about their teachers, particularly in elementary school, is that their teachers ARE “experts” in all things. As a parent, I’ve heard many a time, “Mrs. So and So told me that x, y and z are true and she’s right because she’s the teacher”. Now obviously I know that’s not true but little beknownst to me as an educator no one places that stress on us more than ourselves. We want to equip our students with the correct knowledge and an abundance of knowledge. Over the course of this year I’ve begun to let that notion go. Instead I’m clinging to the mantra of “engaging in lifelong learning”. This has always been a part of my motto anyway, to be a lifelong learner but over this year I’ve come to see it in a new light. ENGAGE being the key word. We are always learning new things but to engage means to actively participate, to seek out the opportunities and to really soak them in. To admit that we have much more to learn and put ourselves in the position of student whenever possible.
My long practicum was a lesson in this engagement as I have always known that Fine Arts will be a struggle for me. I am not creative. I am organized, sequential, logical but not creative. I can be “crafty” but I need a template and step by step instruction and I really don’t like imperfection when it comes to art. Engaging in this subject matter as a teacher is the ultimate in leaving room for the messy. I began to appreciate the creation, evaluation, re-creation cycle that happens in a room of students who also feel torn between wanting to be creative and not producing what they deem as creative work. I can’t say that I found the answer to this dilemma but I found an open window to exploring my own insecurities in this particular subject matter and in turn this has helped me see how to encourage my students as they delve into areas in the curriculum that leave them feeling discouraged and inadequate. It gave me the opportunity to show my students what being a lifelong learner really means and being satisfied with an outcome that is less than perfect but has taught me something along the way.
