 |
Tuesday Slice of Life.
All participants are writing about one moment, one part of their day.
A big thank you to Two Writing Teachers for providing this unique opportunity
for teacher-writers to share and reflect.
mind-bending,
metacognitive work.
This is a poetic attempt to describe this work at the beginning of the school year.
Just How
just how
do I know what to say in the moment?
just how
do I hold a mirror to the effect of her actions?
just how
do I help him to see from the student's perspective?
just how
do I discern what is the most essential thing to notice, to give feedback on?
just how
do I encourage her to see the power of her innate tools of voice, emotion, timing, and even physical presence?
just how
do I decide if this is important enough to mention?
just how
do I see the right and the possible in the midst of missteps?
just how
do I move him from simply being alongside a child to fostering the child's ability to play with peers, learn new routines, explore new things?
just how
do I help her see that she can be with more than one child?
just how
do I help him to react with a developmental lens rather than moral authority?
just how
do I give feedback in the moment, while keeping the classroom moving right along?
just how
do I encourage them not to give up, but to see the process and growth of their own learning?
just how
do I say just the right thing?
I was never sure that I did say the "right" thing, but talking and listening about what we both "saw" and "thought" about a child and situations helped me, and I hope, the learner. I wish I'd had your questions all along the way, Maureen. I'm sure they could be helpful to those working with new teachers!
ReplyDeleteYour post is certainly a description of the challenge of supporting and guiding....showing without telling....in so many ways it is just like teaching our students....we must show and guide them to make their own meaning and way.
ReplyDeleteI thought about Hamlet as I read this. At one point in the play he says to Gertrude, "You go not till I set you up a glass where you may see the inmost part of you." Only when we see ourselves through the eyes of students do we know "just how." The challenge, then, is one of teaching self-reflection.
ReplyDeleteI've supervised eight student teachers and have talked to all of them about how they think students see them.
I feel like I've been teaching long enough and yet, I still have these very same questions! I'm not sure I'll ever have the answers, let alone the right one, but that won't stop me from asking. Good luck in finding the answers and thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteAs one who would fall into the novice category, or even lower as I haven't quite graduated yet, we are asking similar questions and longing for your guidance! Thank you so much for all you do!
ReplyDelete