I had such a great time during student teaching, but there were times when I was floored by the things students did not know and then I would be surprised by the things they did know. I now know that I must be a math teacher as well as a science teacher because either students are only learning math in isolation or they really don't have the math skills necessary for science classes. I don't know if this is because of the school I am in or if it a trend that is seen in other schools as well, but I do know I will not be expecting my students in the future to have the math skills like I had when I started high school. On the up side, I have seen students make connections between science class and literature class to figure out the meaning of a word. My host teacher and myself were so excited to see students making the connection. The students will not forget the meaning of the word because of the connection they made and the reaction of Ms. Jack and myself. They all looked at us like we were crazy because of our reaction. I loved my time student teaching and I didn't want to leave my students because I was able to really impact a few students. I hope that they will take the things that I taught them and use it in the future.
My progress on class assignments are slow. I have ideas for everything, but I have not had the time to sit and put them down because I used up all my energy during the day with my students. Now, that I am not student teaching I will be able to sit and do everything.
I enjoyed reading Readicide because it was able to express some of the frustrations that I had as a student about reading. I agree with some of his solutions, but my fear is that it will take too long to for teachers to change to make a true impact on current students. I hope that we as teachers will really take a hard look at how we get students to read and try to find a way to make it enjoyable instead of chore.
I know how that math teaching is; in the physical science class, students struggled with simply arranging equations. I never realized how much we have to "re-teach" to students prior to getting in to our own material. Sorry about that slow process on the assignments, and sorry I had to rub it in by showing off all my assignments haha.
ReplyDeleteI am glad that you enjoyed your student teaching!! I had the same reaction towards my students about their knowledge or lack their of sometimes. My main concern with my students were absences. I always had students not coming to school or being suspended...
ReplyDeleteReadicide is a great book and I also agree about the long-term changes being a slow process.
Rachel,
ReplyDeleteI understand and saw your pain. When I entered your classroom to assist them with the Laws of Sines and Cosines, I began to understand what you had been telling me all along. Students do not obtain the necessary math skills to pass the current science classes. We had prior discussed the idea that the new mathematics format (Math 1 - Math 4) had a direct impact on the mathematical struggles in a science class. In the beginning of the year, you told me you believed there was a direct correlation. DO you still? I would be interested to know. My feelings about the new mathematics format have changed a bit.
Just to let you know, I overheard you in your classroom on multiple occasions. You handle your class very well and you demand respect from your students. BRAVO!! I feel that you are going to be a very good teacher. Good Luck in your future.
Rachel,
ReplyDeleteIt's encouraging to hear that your students made connections between science and literature. This is an area where I could definitely be stronger in my teaching- drawing those connections for students, or prompting them to do so. It's so easy to get consumed by your own content and forget the importance of transferability.