Emily Baker
Blog One:
Initial Post
TOPIC: Across your internship year you are encouraged to think
about 3 important questions regarding your literacy instruction:
·
What can I do? (Agency and identity)
·
What can I do (readiness)
·
What can I do? (action)
Consider the ideas discussed in today’s readings on effective
approaches to comprehension instruction as well as the cases about teaching
dilemmas we discussed during our first session. What types of professional
dilemmas do you anticipate needing to manage this year in relation to
developing your professional identity, building strong teacher-student
relationships, constructing relevant curriculum or assessing students in
meaningful and productive ways?
Give specific examples of areas where you feel confident in your
planning, teaching, and assessing and areas you feel you need to learn more
about. Given what you know so far about your classroom context, what
opportunities might be available to you for learning this year? What ideas do
you have about how you might want to ‘finesse’ or ‘hybridize’ your literacy
practices?
Throughout
the internship year I think all of us will face many challenges and dilemmas. I
feel that these challenges and dilemmas are important to growth and our journey
to becoming strong and effective teachers. I think some of the challenges I
might face are challenges of identity, curriculum, and student to teacher
relationships.
I know that I see myself as a
teacher and I am confident leading a classroom. However, within my school
setting I know that I am seen as a student. My mentor teacher introduced me to
our first graders as a student. From this I have heard them saying that I’m in
high school or college so I’m not a real teacher. From this I know it will take
time to build my identity to them so they see me another teacher in the room
and not just an older version of themselves. I also know that throughout the
year my identity within the classroom will be shifting from phasing into the
classroom, observing my mentor, helping students, to teaching lessons, to led
teaching, to phasing back out of the classroom. I think a lot of these
transitions will be easy especially for me due to my knowledge that they are
coming and my excitement for them however they could be difficult transitions
for my students.
This idea of identity transitions
being difficult and/or stressful for students brings up the ideas of challenges
of student to teacher relationships.
Some of the students in my classroom have a history of struggling with
changes and with having new people in their environment. These students tend to
“melt down” due to changes or refuse to interact with adults. During these
transitions I feel that it will be important to be understanding and supportive
of my students in their possible struggles with the changes. I think it will
also be important to maintain the routine of the classroom during these
transitions to help my students to cope.
My school like many uses the
extremely structured reading and writing system of Reading Street. Due to the
time demands of Reading Street my mentor teacher doesn’t teach social studies
and science on a regular basis. This will force me to challenge the curriculum
when I teach my lessons. I will need to find ways to negotiate and hybridize
the curriculum to work in social studies and science. I will also have to
negotiate and hybridize the curriculum of reading street if it is not
effectively working for my students. I’m fairly confident in my planning skills
and adapting skills to make things work for a variety of learners, so this idea
excites me because it will give me opportunities to learn and grow as an
educator and really focus in on fine tuning this skill. However in the past I have
only had to plan with my lessons to match the GLECS and not the common core
standards so that will be new for me. Also my past placements have been with
older grade levels so I’m not as comfortable with finding/creating assessments
that work for younger children that wouldn’t involve the test being read to
each individual students.
One point you made in your post that I really like is that transitions can be hard, no matter who is going through it or what the transition is for. I know that even though my students see me as a teacher, once I become more of the lead teacher it will be hard because they see my mentor teacher as the "head" teacher. I believe there will always be transition trouble for student and teachers. It is just a matter of where that transition happens in the school year. I think you will be able to get through the transitions great. You know what you need to do so that the transition goes both smooth for you and the students.
ReplyDeleteI also was worried about "titles" and who the students might view as the lead teacher, but my mentor made it known from day one that her and I are seen as equals in the classroom. She constantly will have me bring them or lead them from lunch or specials, as well as step out of the room form time to time in order to let them know I am also in charge. What I say goes, for both of us and it goes the other way too. I have had students ask for example to go to the bathroom and if i say no, she makes a point to also say no. I think as long as you are doing activities with the students on a regular basis and stepping in once in a while your transitions will be fine!
ReplyDeleteI've been extremely lucky with the way my CT has explained to the students in our class and the way my principal has explained to the entire school that MSU interns are teachers too. This has done nothing but help in increasing my confidence in transitioning into the "teacher" role. Although it's important for the other teachers, parents and administration you encounter in the school to see you and treat you like any other teacher, it's also important for you to give them no reason to think any other way.
ReplyDeleteThroughout this week I've realized that in establishing your own teacher identity, it's necessary to not only look the part and talk the part of the role you're trying to establish but also take on the responsibilities of that role. For a teacher, that requires extensive planning and preparing all while trying to decide how you can add your own personal and original touch to what you're doing to make it truly yours. Students know when a teacher has put in extra time to their teaching and can respect that in their own way. So, although not every person (adult or child) you encounter in the school setting is going to accept you and treat you as a "real" teacher at first, there are ways to show, and in a way prove, that you are, in fact, a teacher!
I understand your disposition about being labeled a student. This is a problem i had last year in my placement. The teacher introduced me as a MSU senior. The students found it hard to respect me and being fifth grade they often tested me. This year my CT also explained to both the class and parents that i was a teacher. For example, As parents and students came into the room the first day she would say, "This is MR. Knox, he'll be your teacher for the year as well. Now you have the pleasure have of having two wonderful teachers." I am really grateful for that because now i am seen as an authoritative figure which is great when it comes to instruction. This how allowed me to establish my own identity. The students know that Mr. Knox is this way and that Mrs. Bell is this way. And it feels great, it feels authentic.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a really rich discussion of professional dilemmas and how your identity as professionals is developing. You are responsive to others' comments so this feels like a genuine dialogue. As you continue your blogging, I'd like to see more specifically how the readings inform your thinking and are helping you develop your ideas. You don't need to "summarize" them, but there should be evidence that you have read them and that you are trying to make connections with what you read and the ideas being expressed by your colleagues. I think your group is off to a very good start and look forward to reading more!
ReplyDelete