So the major lesson I learned today……practice speaking the words you need to teach your students out load and very clearly so that you do not have to say the Integua(mumble)……system over and over again because for some reason you have forgotten how to speak!
Having been observing for almost a month now I really appreciate all the balls in the air my mentor teacher juggles without looking like she is doing much. It is very deceptive. I keep on saying to myself "be a duck". Just as a duck appears to glide on the water, but below its feet are furiously paddling away; I want to at least appear calm on the outside even when I am churning on the inside. However, right now I kind of want to be a duck so I can fly south for the winter and sit on a warm beach!
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Welcome, who is Mr. Bradley?
6 years ago
3 comments:
but sometimes you think you know how to pronounce words correctly and you don't! (i've taught students incorrect pronunciation before...but not on purpose!)
When I was in 10th grade I had to give a presentation on the solar system, and the whole class was laughing at me, so the teacher pulled me aside to let me know that I was mispronouncing "Uranus". I'd just moved from Canada and pronounced it like I knew it, but my classmates, especially the boys in the front row, thought I was saying "your anus"
who knew? the teacher wanted me to say it like "urine us" which didn't sound like an improvement to me...
Brenda, thanks both to you and to a Katie for some good stories and a welcome laugh. The duck image is a vivid one and it's applicable, too.
There's nothing like getting up in front of the room to make you appreciate the skill of a veteran teacher. That can sometimes make conversations with your mentor a little tough, as there's so much a great teacher like your mentor internalizes that sometimes it can be a little tough for them to pause and think about what exactly they did and why, etc. In truth, though, that's one kind of a service that a student teacher can provide to a veteran teacher...a reason and a little push towards more explicit reflection. Whether in year one or year twenty, we can all benefit from taking a fresh look at our practice...
Hi Brenda,
You know I am fortunate because I am at least an Oregon Duck! Anyway, I have never heard that analogy before, but I really like it! I feel like that image is going to stick with me for a while...
I think lately though I look more like an octopus (or maybe a squid that is being dissected in your class)... My arms flailing around like a crazy person... but I think that has more to do with lack of sleep and homework. So probably in January, we can both be ducks, when we will have less classes! Anyway, as for mispronouncing words, I do it all the time... that is one reason that I miss teaching in Austria, because I was always the authority because I was a native speaker! I often corrected students who were using British pronunciation on accident! Whoops... Oh well, America is better anyway ;)
Lastly, I enjoyed watching you interact with students on Thursday, and I think that you do a great job!
Autumn
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