Journal 2
Unfortunately, I had to renounce to the first rural school where I was teaching for the school has a rotating schedule. What it means that the schedule moves unpredictably. This made my classes impossible to teach. Hence, I moved to other schools nearer to Usco and with a fixed schedule called Gabriel Garcia Marquez. In this new first class that I taught, it was quite difficult to manage the group for the disorder. I have two groups of eighth-graders. One of them is quite nice but the other is the opposite. When I got the classroom they were doing so much noise that I wasn’t able to control them. Immediately, I tried to remember the theories which I was supposed to have learnt at university but could not find anyone about how to control these guys. I tried to persuade them to be quiet but they did not listen to me. Then, I decided to approach to them one by one and tell them to sit down but while I was giving commands to some, the others were standing up on the other side of the classroom. This bad behaviour really upset me and, in fact, I did not know what to do.
It wasn’t until my co-operator arrived that they started keeping silence. So, I did realise that the students do not respect me. This can be because at the very beginning of induction before we started the eighth semester all the practitioners were summoned for a week of induction. In this week, we were given some important piece of advice to have a better performance in the classroom where we were supposed to teach. Something that I remember from one of my teachers was the fact that she told us not to say to the students that we were just students. This because students by knowing that we are students like them, they would not respect us. I internalised that piece advice and was committed in the first-class observation to tell the students that I was going to be his second new teacher in charge of them, but before I could say something my co-operator told the students that I was going to be the university practitioner. Also, she told them that I was going to try to teach them to know if I was capable of teaching. Immediately, the students whispered and laughed among them and I knew they had plans for me.
Owing to this fact, many questions came to my mind like do I want to be a teacher? Is this what I really want for my life? Can I do something else, so that I could avoid this stressful environment? Nonetheless, I kept going with my class. Later, while I was teaching I realised that once upon the time, I was a child and did almost the same as the students. So, I smiled and tried to incorporate myself. Then, the teacher went out and students started making noisy but when I thought the chaos was going to come back some students stuck up for me. They stood for me and made feel better. This showed me that some students want to learn and that there is a reason for me to keep working.
According to the second journal.First, do not be ashamed of being the University practitioner, you should keep that clear and let your students know that since the beginning. In order to keep their attention when you arrive to the classroom, always check attendance. Second, let your students know that you will be their teacher for some time, and that as a teacher you will take attendance and assign them some grades, in order to do this you need to ask to the cooperating teacher for the list of the students. Third, have you tried organizing the classroom at your will? say in a square form? I do that and it works for me. Fourth, start the class with a video related to the topic that calls their attention, it works for me. Fifth, don't be a pussy, remember that life as a teacher is better than any type of jobs in which you earn less than the minimum wage, besides that you are almost done with your undergraduate program, I could say finish this first and then if you decide you want to work at something else change, but do not drop out. Winners do not quit.
ResponderEliminarThanks Daniel for your enriching comments.Nonetheless, I always have taken the register-attendance.The only thing I have not done yet it has been the classroom managment( organisation of the clasroom) which could help me a lot of with the discipline.
ResponderEliminarWhen I arrived at the school, the cooperating teacher did the same (introduced me as a practitioner). However, the students respected me as their teacher. In one of the two grades, there was a group of students who talked a lot and didn't pay attention. What I did was, I often walked close to their desks checking that they were working and were in silent if necessary. Besides, when I couldn't do this, I stopped talking, and other students automatically knew what was happening, and they helped me by telling them to pay attention. Of course, all groups are different, and you have to find a way to motivate them.
ResponderEliminar