Three more weeks to go! Weeeeeeee!
Things in student-teaching land have been going relatively well. Although this week is going to be busy and challenging (as are most), I'm pretty excited that I'm going to be done my first term of student teaching in about 20 days. I actually only have 7 days of teaching left before Christmas holidays, so that makes it even more scary and more intense!
I actually want to share my Powerpoint presentation that I did for my education class on Saturday, which was a sort of Bonehead's Guide to a Great Practicum, but I have no clue how to (or even if I can) post powerpoint files onto here for everyone to see. But I'm going to post the text anyway.... I don't know if the pictures I'm using are really kosher to use if they're copyrighted... I guess I should just deny that I copywrited any images or cartoons :) So here it is...
T.M.'s Guide to a Great Teaching Practicum
1) You are a sponge.
Your number one goal is to beg, borrow, and steal absolutely any suggestions, materials, or good advice possible while enrolled in the internship program. You're paying to work, so soak it up, and take everything you can!
2) There are two certainties in teaching: prep and sleep deprivation.
We all want time to enjoy ourselves, but a better lesson means a better teaching experience for you and your students (believe me, this comes directly from experience). Make sure that you're well planned, you're keeping a "Big Picture" in mind, and you're constantly setting goals for yourself. Will this create magic? Probably not. But it will help make you better teachers.
3) Have a "Plan Y"
You may very well go through 24.9 ideas (both good and bad) in a class... you're going to need a #25. Always have a backup plan in case things don't go your way.
4) Students are like dogs... they can smell fear from a mile away.
Classroom management is vitally important to a quality teaching experience. Post your rules in plain sight, keep them simple, and back up your threats. Remember, you run the show. Students can have fun, but they always need to remember who is in charge.
5) Pack Lightly
Your students will bring enough baggage to school for everyone. You are not just a teacher... you are a parent, a psychologist, and a confidant. Which hat will you wear today? Chances are, the answer is all of them.
6) When dealing with parents: Hope for the best, but expect the worst.
You really never know how parents are going to react to your teaching. Hope for praise (because we all know that you ARE a great teacher), but expect that everything may not be rosy. These parents are looking out for their children's best interest. Let them talk, listen to what they say, and respond with patience and calm. Be the ball. Get in the zone. You are Yoda.
7) Networking in the school should not be limited to internet access.
Get to know your staff. These people will be your colleagues, your friends, and your comrades-in-arms for the rest of your career. Make yourself a part of their social world.
8) When in doubt, hug a receptionist or a custodian.
These people are in control of your photocopying, ordering, and school-supply fate. Do your best to get to know them and, if possible, "make their day" once in a while.
9) Think of every day as Friday.
Take some time out of every day just to talk to someone. We all need time to vent, especially after seven hours of being bombarded by teenage hormones. Maybe there's a blog out there that could be of use... maybe not though (Inside joke... I set up another blog for my fellow interns). But try to make time to engage in cathartic activities that relieve your daily stresses and share your experience with as many people as possible.
10) You are your biggest asset.
We all have family, friends, and some form of a social life. Try to make time to embrace this. Yes, you are a teacher now, and your occupation stretches outside the walls of the school However, you still need to keep living your life. Air is your friend, so breathe it in. Relax. Enjoy this time. Although it's stressful, it's probably the only time in your career that you will have people helpingand supporting and listening to you whenever you're feeling down. Take advantage and enjoy it.
This presentation was accompanied by witty banter and clever cartoons and images that turned it into an "A" effort. You'll just have to imagine how wonderful it is, and if you want, I can send you a copy of the file. For tonight, my friends... adieu...
- T
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