Already lessons learned
I've completed my second week as a teaching assistant, and I have learned some very important lessons so far from this wonderful teacher (Mrs. P) with whom I have the privilege of working:
1) Learn to choose your battles: it's just not worth disrupting the entire class for every little thing the kids do wrong behaviour-wise. I was a little astounded by how some kids would individually get up during their lesson on the carpet to get a drink of water from the in-class water fountain, grab a kleenex from the teacher's desk that they'd barely use and then toss out, etc. Then I realized, what's the big deal? We're all entitled to a short break from time to time, and if the morning feels really long for me, it must feel super long for them! I think that constantly having to scold children for tiny disruptions impedes the progress of the lesson, which is definitely counter-productive. And often the disruptions aren't as important as I had originally thought (my first impression/concern having lasted all of half a morning that first day). This leads me to my second point...
2) Don't expect more of the children than they can possible achieve at their age level. This lesson will of course require a better understanding on my part of what I should expect (and consequently not expect) out of 7- and 8-year-olds, which is where experience and Teacher's College come in. Mrs. P can tell when the class is getting restless and when no amount of "Magic 5" (counting down out loud from 5 to 1, with each number representing an action the children should take to quiet down, i.e., 5 - sit on bum, 4 - hands in lap, 3 - eyes on teacher, etc.) will do enough to get them to co-operate, so she has them get up to do some fun physical exercise. And it works! I know this trick isn't by far a new one, but I really appreciate Mrs. P's wisdom in knowing when to draw the line instead of getting impatient and raising her voice. I have yet to hear her raise her voice, something that will be difficult for me to learn and yet so admirable and effective in the end. She uses other methods, instead, of warning the children that they're crossing the line, like the "Magic 5" countdown, and clothes pegs on a chart that are moved up (by the children themselves) from 0 to 1 to 2 to 3 (with a slightly more serious punishment of sending the child alone to his or her desk after 3 has been reached) when the envelope has been pushed a little too far. Both methods work very well, and it's rare that kids make it to 3, let alone 1 or 2. Of course, these methods harmonize nicely with her teaching style, which includes praise, encouragement and, most importantly of all, fairness. I can honestly say that I cannot tell which children are Mrs. P's favourites, and that is so so very important to the dynamic of the classroom. Everyone feels special and has a chance to excel despite past behaviour and work mistakes. I so admire that in Mrs. P.
3) There's a difference between "mother" and "teacher", even for young children. I have this tendancy towards doing too many things for kids, just because I care for them, and I've noticed that you can care without "mothering". In fact, I'm beginning to see that it's important that those two roles never be confused in a classroom, and that you don't have to act like a mother to show that you care for a child's well being and learning. I've caught myself picking up after kids who drop their pencils and erasers because they're not sitting down and doing their work properly, when I really should be asking them to pick up their stuff and get to work. I've also fixed the collar on a kid's jacket when it was caught inside out around his neck, and patted too many kids on the shoulder when it wasn't really necessary. I know these are minor examples, but they are warnings to me that might speak to a larger problem of mothering in places where I should be teaching, and encouraging kids to look after themselves whenever possible. And like the example of picking battles in number 1, some things, like a mixed up collar, take up precious energy that is better spent elsewhere, like getting these kids out the door to recess. All in all, I'm not too hard on myself with this one, though it may seem that way; give me a class to myself full time and those habits will quickly fade as my energy is consumed entirely just by teaching and getting those kids out the door!
That's all for now. More to come as I remember a few more important things I have learned so far.
1) Learn to choose your battles: it's just not worth disrupting the entire class for every little thing the kids do wrong behaviour-wise. I was a little astounded by how some kids would individually get up during their lesson on the carpet to get a drink of water from the in-class water fountain, grab a kleenex from the teacher's desk that they'd barely use and then toss out, etc. Then I realized, what's the big deal? We're all entitled to a short break from time to time, and if the morning feels really long for me, it must feel super long for them! I think that constantly having to scold children for tiny disruptions impedes the progress of the lesson, which is definitely counter-productive. And often the disruptions aren't as important as I had originally thought (my first impression/concern having lasted all of half a morning that first day). This leads me to my second point...
2) Don't expect more of the children than they can possible achieve at their age level. This lesson will of course require a better understanding on my part of what I should expect (and consequently not expect) out of 7- and 8-year-olds, which is where experience and Teacher's College come in. Mrs. P can tell when the class is getting restless and when no amount of "Magic 5" (counting down out loud from 5 to 1, with each number representing an action the children should take to quiet down, i.e., 5 - sit on bum, 4 - hands in lap, 3 - eyes on teacher, etc.) will do enough to get them to co-operate, so she has them get up to do some fun physical exercise. And it works! I know this trick isn't by far a new one, but I really appreciate Mrs. P's wisdom in knowing when to draw the line instead of getting impatient and raising her voice. I have yet to hear her raise her voice, something that will be difficult for me to learn and yet so admirable and effective in the end. She uses other methods, instead, of warning the children that they're crossing the line, like the "Magic 5" countdown, and clothes pegs on a chart that are moved up (by the children themselves) from 0 to 1 to 2 to 3 (with a slightly more serious punishment of sending the child alone to his or her desk after 3 has been reached) when the envelope has been pushed a little too far. Both methods work very well, and it's rare that kids make it to 3, let alone 1 or 2. Of course, these methods harmonize nicely with her teaching style, which includes praise, encouragement and, most importantly of all, fairness. I can honestly say that I cannot tell which children are Mrs. P's favourites, and that is so so very important to the dynamic of the classroom. Everyone feels special and has a chance to excel despite past behaviour and work mistakes. I so admire that in Mrs. P.
3) There's a difference between "mother" and "teacher", even for young children. I have this tendancy towards doing too many things for kids, just because I care for them, and I've noticed that you can care without "mothering". In fact, I'm beginning to see that it's important that those two roles never be confused in a classroom, and that you don't have to act like a mother to show that you care for a child's well being and learning. I've caught myself picking up after kids who drop their pencils and erasers because they're not sitting down and doing their work properly, when I really should be asking them to pick up their stuff and get to work. I've also fixed the collar on a kid's jacket when it was caught inside out around his neck, and patted too many kids on the shoulder when it wasn't really necessary. I know these are minor examples, but they are warnings to me that might speak to a larger problem of mothering in places where I should be teaching, and encouraging kids to look after themselves whenever possible. And like the example of picking battles in number 1, some things, like a mixed up collar, take up precious energy that is better spent elsewhere, like getting these kids out the door to recess. All in all, I'm not too hard on myself with this one, though it may seem that way; give me a class to myself full time and those habits will quickly fade as my energy is consumed entirely just by teaching and getting those kids out the door!
That's all for now. More to come as I remember a few more important things I have learned so far.
posted by DaftLadybird at 12:06 PM
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