"Those that know, do. Those that understand, teach." - Aristotle
Today was the day; the first day of the rest of my life. I arrived at the Middle School at 7:30 for an early meeting with the other student teachers and one of the school principals, Mr. Hildenbrand. The meeting was relatively painless, just a quick greeting and overview of what we can expect in the weeks to come. From here, I headed on over to the Theta Pod and began my dad in Ms. Luby's 8th grade English class- hazzah!!
I adore my cooperating teacher. She tells it like it is; she's totally and completely upfront and honest, but patient and optimistic at the same time. I could really tell that she genuinely cares for her students. She jokes with the students, she knows about her students' lives, and she carefully plots her each move so as to take into consideration how it may effect the her students. We seem to agree on a number of subjects- including a certain spirited businessman- and she welcomed my lesson ideas with open arms. I think I've found an excellent fit with Ms. Luby, and I hope that the rest of these 12 weeks will continue to fill me with the sort of optimism that I left with today.
I didn't do a whole lot in regard to working with the students today, which was my only regret. However, as Luby put it, Monday's are a typical "work day" for the students. Throughout most of their classes today, the students read to themselves and worked on reading quizzes. I had the opportunity to interact with a couple of the kids as they questioned who was the stranger chilling at the new desk at the front of the classroom. One student, Isaac, was rather entertaining. When Ms. Luby introduced me to the class during Isaac's class period, his arm shot up in the air with a question. Chuckles arose from all of the students, as they knew exactly what was about to occur, and Luby warned Isaac to play nice. When I asked Isaac what his question was, he asked me:
"If you were mountain biking and you took a sweet jump, um, what's your favorite bird?"
Moments later, he followed up with the question:
"If you were in the desert, and you were thirsty and your car wouldn't start, and you couldn't find water or oil, and you could watch one movie, what's your favorite movie?"
Immature, yes, but I relished in answering Isaac's questions. His obnoxious humor reminded me of my own and I look forward to working with Isaac. I welcome his antics and found his humor comforting. Day one was a success!
Tomorrow's Goal: Get to know students by their first names.
I adore my cooperating teacher. She tells it like it is; she's totally and completely upfront and honest, but patient and optimistic at the same time. I could really tell that she genuinely cares for her students. She jokes with the students, she knows about her students' lives, and she carefully plots her each move so as to take into consideration how it may effect the her students. We seem to agree on a number of subjects- including a certain spirited businessman- and she welcomed my lesson ideas with open arms. I think I've found an excellent fit with Ms. Luby, and I hope that the rest of these 12 weeks will continue to fill me with the sort of optimism that I left with today.
I didn't do a whole lot in regard to working with the students today, which was my only regret. However, as Luby put it, Monday's are a typical "work day" for the students. Throughout most of their classes today, the students read to themselves and worked on reading quizzes. I had the opportunity to interact with a couple of the kids as they questioned who was the stranger chilling at the new desk at the front of the classroom. One student, Isaac, was rather entertaining. When Ms. Luby introduced me to the class during Isaac's class period, his arm shot up in the air with a question. Chuckles arose from all of the students, as they knew exactly what was about to occur, and Luby warned Isaac to play nice. When I asked Isaac what his question was, he asked me:
"If you were mountain biking and you took a sweet jump, um, what's your favorite bird?"
Moments later, he followed up with the question:
"If you were in the desert, and you were thirsty and your car wouldn't start, and you couldn't find water or oil, and you could watch one movie, what's your favorite movie?"
Immature, yes, but I relished in answering Isaac's questions. His obnoxious humor reminded me of my own and I look forward to working with Isaac. I welcome his antics and found his humor comforting. Day one was a success!
Tomorrow's Goal: Get to know students by their first names.
I think he was just trying to get a rise out of you - or throw you off base.
ReplyDeleteYou certainly are writing a-lot for your journal - good for you! I miss hearing you talk, so now I can read you. From what I understand, you have *THE* best class in the school. I'm jealous - and very happy it worked that way for you!