Becoming a Mr.

Greetings My Faithful Few Readers,

Yet another week has begun here at Southeast Polk High School and already there have been new developments.  Today we had our first student teacher meeting with the associate principal, where we discussed logistics and how student teaching at this high school usually goes.  I greatly enjoyed meeting the other student teachers and getting to spend some time communicating with the principal.

One thing that came out of the meeting was a reminder that if I wished to teach a class that I have an endorsement in to make sure I voiced that desire to my supervising teacher and the principal.  I will have my endorsements in biology and general science, so I think it will be beneficial for me to get this experience in a non-agriculture classroom.  Am I nervous about the experience?  Yes I am, I haven’t had much, actually correction, ANY experience in any classrooms that were not agriculture related.  It is time to get out of my comfort zone and continue developing.  As it is said in education I will have to practice the time honored art of "staying one day ahead of the students."

Now to get to the title of this blog, "Becoming a Mr.” It is a funny feeling finally becoming a Mr. after 22 years as just Brandon.  This last week has served as a break in period where as students begin to accept me as a mainstay in these classrooms, they ask me more questions and thus use my name more.  I have now begun to respond to Mr.  Werner and now I do not cringe at the sound as I did in the beginning.  This is all part of this experience and will serve me well when placed in front of my future classes.  This is all part of developing and growing up, but I know I have put some time into finally becoming a Mr. and several of my fellow student teachers have as well so I thought I would document these thoughts.

In my previous blog I talked about curving negative student behavior in a respectful non-confrontational manner.  My quote this week has to do with growing up and treating students with respect.

“Too many people grow up. That's the real trouble with the world, too many people grow up. They forget. They don't remember what it's like to be 12 years old. They patronize, they treat children as inferiors. Well I won't do that.” _Walt Disney

One of the most important things about growing up and "becoming a Mr." is that I never forget that that the students teach me almost as much as I teach them and that I am not here to spoon-feed them questions and answers. I am here to guide them as they take responsibility for their education and their learning and along the way learn a lot myself.

The Long Haul

Hello everyone,

I hope that Mother Nature’s little fit this week has not got your spirits down and that this blog finds you well.  I started teaching the animal science course this week and so far I think it is going well.  Starting out with one class is providing me the opportunity to test the waters or "get my feet wet" if you read my previous blog.  I am able to teach a lesson then ask my supervising teacher what I did well and what suggestions he has for me.  This immediate feedback is what makes the student teaching process so valuable.  I have had a few conversations with a couple first year teachers and the general consensus is that the hardest part of your first year on your own is you no longer have the access to feedback that you did during student teaching.  So I am going to use this resource as much as possible while I have it!

A few things I have already learned from a few periods of teaching:

  1- Always have something for the students to do.  No I am not talking about sending the kids out to clean the shop because you can’t think of anything for them to do.  I am talking about productive items that you can have them do if they complete the assignment early.  This could be reading ahead in their workbook to get a jumpstart on the assignment tomorrow, working on their record books (AET), or ongoing projects that they have a long time to complete.  If a student is occupied by an activity that has meaning they are more likely to remain a positive influence in your classroom rather than a distraction.

 2- Watch your crutch words.  I mentioned before that I am no great orator, but I despise when speakers I listen to continually use crutch words. "So class, today we are going to work on... ummm... activity 2.1 in your workbooks.  Ummm when you finish that you can continue on to ... ummm... section 2.2."  I can thank my lucky stars that I do not use the word "umm," but every once in a while I will use the word "ok" more often than I should.  This is something I plan to work on and I believe I did a much better job during today’s lesson.

 3- Finally, pick your battles.  Do not pull out the heavy artillery to attack a small problem.  Most students will respond more to reprimands that come in a respectful and positive manner and not from a teacher that unleashes a wave of furry upon them.  When students talk during lecture, remain quiet and explain your expectations.  If the problem persists then you can use different tactics.

This just scratches the surface of what I have learned throughout my last few days.  I am enjoying this opportunity and it has taught me that I chose the right profession.  I love working with kids and all of their antics and I basically love everything about the job (except the never-ending pile of paperwork I have witnessed).  I believe that with time I will begin to develop a better understanding of why certain methods work and why some don’t. I am on my way and as always I am living to serve.

"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."
Mohandas Gandhi

Getting My Feet Wet, More Like Complete Submersion

I am sure many of you have heard the old saying I am just going to get my feet wet. For those of you that do not know what it means it is just trying something out a little in order to get the feel for it. Well for a student teacher the first week maybe even two is supposed to be an organized "get your feet wet" experience. Well today I found myself responsible for EVERY CLASS. This does not constitute as a "getting your feet wet" moment. As my supervising instructor put it "it is more like complete submersion.

It is interesting the things you pick up from only a few hours of teaching on your own. I already have thought of several different methods I plan on using for classroom management, when I begin developing and teaching my own lessons. This experience while being slightly stressful has shown me that I can survive this experience that is student teaching, which has been a nagging question in the back of my head.

Throughout my life remembering names has been a habitual problem. After a day of taking attendance and asking kids to be quiet using their first name I am no linger worried about learning everyone’s name. It will come with time as will everything else.

I am going to try to include a quote in all my blogs that helps me explain the circumstances I encounter. Today is from George Washington Carver:

"Start where you are, with what you have. Make something of it and never be satisfied."

Today was not the start I wanted or expected when I began this journey called student teaching, but here I am and these are the cards I have been dealt. I am going to make the best of it and continue to work hard and better myself.