Despite the fact that I'm pretty sure I'm getting acne from hanging around teenagers all day, I am loving my job. Honestly, it doesn't even feel like a job. I am faced with challenges, but I don't feel overwhelmed or stressed. I am not nervous in front of the kids, and I don't seem to fumble my words as I felt I did during student teaching. I'm sure much of this has to do with the fact that it is my very own classroom, with my very own material, that's being taught to my very own students. It's so awesome.
The end of my Thursday left me smiling. Not only did I feel productive, but I had a couple of really great class discussions. I am teaching a Short Stories course that consists of juniors and seniors. Each of the sections are rather small, which aids to rich discussions. The students read Flannery O'Conner's "Whatever Rises Must Converge" for class today. They were asked to identify vocabulary words and search for "power sentences." I was impressed by their ideas and inferences. So much of literature is interpretation. Finding personal connections allows students to comprehend and remember a story. I received excellent responses from my students. I am already very proud of their work.
After my first Short Stories class of the day, a student said, "If we do this (discussions) all the time, I'm really going to like this class." I told him that if they continue to come to class prepared to discuss and share, then we are going to have a great year. I encourage class participation as I can in my classes. It's very important to me that each student has a voice. It's my job to get to know them and listen to their words.
As my second Short Stories class was coming to a close, a student chimed in, "May I add an idea for the class to debate?" I was sort of taken aback, but I was quick to say, "Yes, please!" He went on to bring an entire new dimension to the discussion. That's right, my student directed our discussion. I was in English Teacher heaven. Needless to say, I'm going to be sleep soundly tonight, knowing that today was free of discussion dilemmas.
No comments:
Post a Comment