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Slice of Life Story Challenge (SOLSC).
All participants are writing about one moment, one part of their day, every day of March 2017.
A big thank you to Two Writing Teachers for providing this unique opportunity
for teacher-writers to share and reflect.
for teacher-writers to share and reflect.
My Teaching Resident is working as our classroom lead this week, and she will take the lead more and more over the remaining weeks in the school year. This is always a hard and amazing time of year for me, as I struggle to step back, intervene, or fix situations, and, simultaneously, I watch the Teaching Resident grow before my eyes. Yes, hard and amazing. Our "transfer of power" is not understood by the children - or, actually, maybe it is immediately understood. It seems that the Teaching Resident's voice doesn't carry as much authority. The children find the small openings in her directions and expectations, and act in ways I have never experienced before. For a novice teacher, these new, unexpected behaviors are challenging and constant work.
There's something about this time of year - when the Teaching Resident is leading - that always reminds me of the first six weeks of school. Today, things fell apart at clean up. Clean up! A routine that has been in place since day one...without a doubt, the children KNOW this routine. Oh my, did things fall apart. There was running. There was a just a wee bit of throwing. There was lots of disinterest, identified by children who sidled away from the work, hung out in one's cubby - avoiding. But the piece de resistance was the tantrums - three absolutely amazing loud, screaming tantrums, one feeding off another, bringing the room to such a level of discord...all because these three children did not want to stop playing. Wow.
What was super impressive: my Teaching Resident stopped the clean up music and had everyone breathe in/breathe out. It took several minutes, but calm came back. (It helped immeasurably that I slipped two of the hysterical children for breaks in other rooms - there's no conversing with someone who is having a tantrum; save your conversation for when they are calmer.) Somehow we returned to cleaning, and then we went on with our day. Right afterwards, my Teaching Resident said - "Children, 1, Teacher, 0." It must have felt like she 'failed' or 'lost' - but, honestly, isn't this how we learn our best behavior management practices, having endured these tough situations?
Later, we reflected together. We talked about reading the room - what clues did we miss that things were going to fall apart? Are there things that should be slowed down? Would it help to pull certain children aside before clean up and speak to them in advance/prepare them for what happens next? Would it help to talk to the class and reflect on what went wrong? Repeat expectations? Problem-solve together? So much to think about, so many possibilities. Tomorrow is another day and it will be better!
There's something about this time of year - when the Teaching Resident is leading - that always reminds me of the first six weeks of school. Today, things fell apart at clean up. Clean up! A routine that has been in place since day one...without a doubt, the children KNOW this routine. Oh my, did things fall apart. There was running. There was a just a wee bit of throwing. There was lots of disinterest, identified by children who sidled away from the work, hung out in one's cubby - avoiding. But the piece de resistance was the tantrums - three absolutely amazing loud, screaming tantrums, one feeding off another, bringing the room to such a level of discord...all because these three children did not want to stop playing. Wow.
What was super impressive: my Teaching Resident stopped the clean up music and had everyone breathe in/breathe out. It took several minutes, but calm came back. (It helped immeasurably that I slipped two of the hysterical children for breaks in other rooms - there's no conversing with someone who is having a tantrum; save your conversation for when they are calmer.) Somehow we returned to cleaning, and then we went on with our day. Right afterwards, my Teaching Resident said - "Children, 1, Teacher, 0." It must have felt like she 'failed' or 'lost' - but, honestly, isn't this how we learn our best behavior management practices, having endured these tough situations?
Later, we reflected together. We talked about reading the room - what clues did we miss that things were going to fall apart? Are there things that should be slowed down? Would it help to pull certain children aside before clean up and speak to them in advance/prepare them for what happens next? Would it help to talk to the class and reflect on what went wrong? Repeat expectations? Problem-solve together? So much to think about, so many possibilities. Tomorrow is another day and it will be better!
What a fascinating post! I had a student teacher one semester, and I was also stunned at the behaviors I saw from my high school students--behaviors I'd never once seen from them! Breathing in and out was a brilliant technique for her to use. Legitimately calming and centering for all--including the adults!
ReplyDeleteYes, things fell apart - but she had a very good instinct about how to get it back on track. Really, that is what good teaching is all about!
DeleteI'd taught for four years overseas before returning to the US, getting an MAT, and THEN going through student teaching. I hated it so much. It was so unlike having my own class, and the students were totally disrespectful. If I hadn't already known I loved teaching, I would have panicked.
ReplyDeleteI suspect it is so very, very hard to teach alongside a lead teacher. (I never had to do this - I have only been the lead!) The lead teacher sets the tone and the style, and you, the student teacher, can feel as if you are just imitating/filling someone's shoes. On the bright side, the lead is there to help. I love coaching/supporting/mentoring novice teachers...I've done this for seven years.
DeleteWhat a terrific reminder that we can all learn from those situations we might view as "failures" and use them to reflect and consider how to move forward. Sometimes I think it is a wonder any of us survived student teaching!
ReplyDeleteI know! It is excruciatingly hard work, to be a student teacher!
DeleteIt was always interesting to see my assistants grow as teachers through the year It was different than when I mentored teachers-to-be in other classrooms. One of the things as we moved along that we did was that I left the classroom with small groups, leaving the rest (& a plan) to the assistant. Ours was a different school of course, but that slow movement helped. You've been doing some of that I know and you have the little ones. I enjoyed the questions at the end that you discussed, good for her thoughts tonight. She did a great thing with the breathe in-breathe out, no panicking! Best to you and your resident, Maureen. Hard for the kids a bit, too.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think she did a great thing with the breathing!
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