Mind Blown

Have you ever seen the Sonic commercial? The one with the two guys sitting in the car outside of Sonic, and one of them is recording every time he’s had his mind blown in a notebook- he’s on like number 46 or something…

Well, that was me this past week.

This semester I have REALLY been struggling with my lesson plans, they weren't making sense, and were coming out not at all how I envisioned them in my mind; This week it all changed when I experienced multiple “booyah!” epiphanies, and boy they were major. For all of you Education majors out there, please let me explain.

All this time I have been trying to manipulate what I already had figured out, in order to fix in the templates predetermined structure: the “I do, you do, we do” and the “reading the text/ensuring comprehension, collaborative or individual interpretations”  and so on, when my thoughts didn't necessarily align with these perfect little boxes.

Some other pretty dandy learnings; I have always thought the “review/reflection” and the “extension”  was something carried out at the end of the lesson- I was creating these whole other activities, and frankly, I couldn't understand why… then after a conversation with my teaching partner, Kayla, she told me something amazing. That this was the things you do when a student needs help DURING the lesson, or when a student breezes through it, what I would say to him/her. I've been doing these things all along! BOOM! Mind Blown!

So… needless to say, I’m a lot calmer person here and now, then I was about a week ago- when I was pulling my hair out and LOATHING lesson planning; something that as a teacher, I’ll be doing a lot of, and should make friends with. Already, we are getting A LOT more comfortable together…

Re framing Insecurities

In preparation for teaching this week I want to think about where I've been, and where I’m going. Having taught at Burrillville High School I had some really great feedback from my cooperating teacher- work on my teacher presence, get comfortable with silence and wait-time… so this time around I have some personal goals for myself- having concrete and clearly written lesson plans- because lesson plans are something I truly struggle with, I’m looking to prove that I can create a SOLID lesson plan. Really considering the in’s and out’s of it, and understanding each part of the whole. This means changing my writing from “for me” into “for others.” This “grocery list” concept really hit a nerve for me and I need to change this bad habit. A.s.a.p.

I also want to have a better understanding of the students’ grade level and what they are capable of- I feel like I constantly underestimate what students are capable of, and I need to up the ante.

Then there comes the goals of teaching with a partner; I think it’s easier said than done. I don’t want it to be super scripted, as in, you say this, I say this… so I suppose I’m looking for equal give and take- the good ‘ol ebb and flow.

I think this sum’s up the bulk of my insecurities, but will put a nice pressure on myself to live up to… Wish me luck.

Grab Your Roller Skates

I had the opportunity to follow a special resource teacher at Nathan bishop, she was not only enthusiastic about showing us the in’s and out’s of her day, she proved to be a genuine inspiration- “Get ready to put on your roller skates!” she said to Kayla and I, and indeed we had to. Mrs. Rebelo has been in quite a few different schools, wearing a grin from ear to ear, she relates how much she loves it here at Nathan Bishop.

Mrs. Rebelo is constantly moving from room to room; always ready to roll- she literally needs to be on the same page as four different classroom teachers, their students, and each of the classroom’s curriculum's  This in itself is a feat, but the fact that she does it well is another. She knows each of her student’s names and provides a different service in each of the classes. She goes on to tell us how each teacher relies on her in different ways when she is present- some go so far as to let her teach the class, while in others, she stays out of the central point of view, all the while buzzing around the room; she provides students with an extra ear, or helps with classroom management when needed.

While Mrs. Rebelo  is there fundamentally for students with special needs, she makes it a point to say that she is not just there for them- but instead is there for all of the students in the room. She cringes as she states how much she dislikes when she is termed a “special education teacher,” she is a teacher through and through, without any restraints when it comes to teaching any and all students.

I thoroughly enjoyed rolling from room to room, but can happily admit that it was nice to take the skates off at the end of the day- what Mrs. Rebelo does is not easy- and I give her, and all of the other teachers out there like her, full and complete credit. Rock and roll sistah. 

Spending Monday at Nathan Bishop Middle School I remembered quickly just how much I love being in the Middle School- Students are inquisitive while still trying to figure out who they are as individuals- While this is true for the High School as well- Middle School kids take more risks, are more apt to stretch their necks out farther in their search for self identity. I remember how awkward I was at Kickemuit Middle School- The towns had recently regionalized and I was nervous for the influx of new faces that I wouldn't know- that wouldn't know me. With the help of my teachers, the transition was made easier than it could have been- that’s the thing- as a teacher you still have such an impact on students. A bigger window to influence them more- It’s still possible at the High School level, but that window becomes just a tad bit smaller.

Having spent some time in Nathan Bishop before, I was excited to see if the school was how I had remembered it in my mind- It is that, and so much more- gorgeous spacious hallways, classrooms filled with the latest technology- a SMART board in each room, comforting lighting and the most perfect sized chairs and desks; all in all, a Middle School teachers dream working space. The most perfect beginning to inspiring all of those miniature minds.

Then there’s the aspect of my teaching partner- Kayla and I have been itching to get a chance to work together and now it’s finally here. I am hoping for her technological enthusiasm to rub off a bit on me. It seems perfect to be able to do it in a classroom like this. Technology and I have never truly made friends. I still think of her as that person that it outside my main circle of friends- making me nervous because I don’t really understand her and thinking that she is wayyyyy to smart for the likes of me. But, here and now, I feel like anything’s possible so I’ll give it a go. That’s the way Middle School makes me feel. Like anything’s possible.