Empathy and Compassion

Another day with a substitute teacher in the room and we all know what that means right!? Let's push the sub to see just how much we can get away with. I feel very fortunate to be able to work with the children everyday. Since the students know how I operate in the classroom, they were a little hesitant to try and push too far. The day went really well and now I can look forward to the end of another long week.

One of the toughest parts of our job is developing an effective diciplinary or positive reinforcement plan. My mentor teacher doesn't have the list or the visual way for diciplining a child. I can see that one of my weeknesses is treding the line between empathy and compassion. The Difference Between article says,

"Compassion is a type of feeling where you tend to feel for the person concerned. You strongly feel sorry for the state of a person without attempting to know what is there in his or her mind. Without even understanding the intensity of his or her problem or predicament you simply feel sorry for a person."

"Empathy on the other hand is a higher plane of emotive behavior. It involves some sort of imagination of the person’s predicament or problem coupled with strong feeling for him or her. Imagination of similar situations is the hallmark of empathy. Such an imagination lays the foundation for gaining empathy for someone."

It takes time in order to develope a true understanding of these terms and which should be used in a specific situation. In the end, a good blend of empathy and compassion can help a teacher better understand the children in their classroom.

Read more: http://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-empathy-and-compassion/#ixzz1ZRCSbuKU

The Halfway Point

The past 6 1/2 weeks have been an amazing journey. There have been many great days and there have also been days that I went home exhausted, beaten, battered, and bruised. (And they say that teaching is not a hard job). These are the days that either test our patients and our poise or give us great satisfaction at the thought of a child being successful in the classroom. The students come first and although they may not fully understand our methods for certain things, if you set it up correctly, they'll always respect the fact that you are trying to help them become more knowledgeable individuals.

I've been told that teachers get three added "sick" days for each pay period or every two weeks. I could sure use one of those right about now. My body has been battling allergies everyday for the past three weeks and a good days rest would feel incredible. Although these are the thoughts going through my head in the morning, I still manage to find the will-power to get out of bed and to get my day started. Every time I do, I'm very glad that I didn't give up the several teaching and learning opportunities I get everyday at my school.
(My school....I like the sound of that!)

When I really think about it, time is flying by. I only have a few more uncompleted tasks that will more than likely be completed within the next couple of weeks. At that point I will seemingly be counting down the days until graduation. Learning what I can in the process of planning for my future. It is a sad thought that I will have to leave my third set of students. It's like I'm just finally really getting to know them and before I know it, I will have moved on and they will be middle schoolers. These are just the thoughts running through my head here at the halfway point.

Expect The Unexpected

The second day of lead teaching all day was a little easier than the first. I was able to get over some of the nerves and I felt extremely comfortable in front of the class. The students are responding really well to all of my lesson plans and my mentor teacher is chiming in less and less as the days go by. (I'm very fortunate to have a great co-teaching environment).

I was very surprised on Tuesday when the principal of the school walked into the classroom for an observation during my Laguage Arts lesson. I was terrified when this happened. All that I could do in this unexpected situation was teach using all of the tools I had gained during the first 6 weeks of the semester. Although the lesson was not perfect, I felt as though I delivered it very effectively and most importantly, the students were able to understand the lesson being taught.

The "theme" of this blog, since I was teaching a lesson on theme when this happened, is to always expect the unexpected. We as teachers never know when a curveball will be thrown our way. Great teachers are teachers that can take the extra time to slow up their swing and make contact with the situation. That is the only way to attack a curveball. Although the visit by the principal went really well, I'm glad I was able to see another reason why it is important to expect the unexpected.

Exciting Times

My first day of Lead Teaching for the entire day went tremendously well. The teacher allowed me the opportunity to really have control over the whole day. I loved every moment of it. This was one of the days that again, I knew that I am doing exactly what I am supposed to do for my career.

The students are responding well to my instruction and although I still seem to struggle with my timing, at the end of each lesson, I truly feel as though all of the students get what I am trying to teach them. After a long weekend, it was good to have an effective first day of lead teaching. Over the next few weeks, I look forward to learning as much as I possibly can.

I also found out on this day that my brother is about a month away from graduating from Air Force Basic Training! We are both moving quickly to our desired goals and I am very excited to say that these truly are exciting times!

You Have To Set It Up Correctly

Another week comes to an end and now comes the "hardest part" of my student teaching experience. Starting next week, I will have 3 consecutive weeks of lead teaching for all subjects. I'm very excited about the challenge that is ahead. After talking with my mentor teacher, he has assured me that I will have a sense of comfort knowing that he is not there looking over my shoulder every time I step up to teach. This also means I can no longer rely on him when I'm unsure of what to do next in a lesson.

I've also began to talk with certain students who could try to cause minor problems with the normal teacher out of the room. I've reached out to these students in minor ways to allow them to see that I genuinely care about their success in the classroom during my time as lead teacher. I also wanted them to know that I require and give the same amount of respect that their normal teacher requires and gives. I hope it worked. I've never been a "mean" teacher and I don't intend to start over these next few weeks.

When it comes down to it for anything a teacher does, you have to take the proper prerequisites and precautions to make sure that you are successful. The teacher must know the class that is in front of them and they must be able to communicate effectively with the many different personalities of the class and the circumstances that cause these personalities. This can be done, but for every lesson and situation, you have to set it up correctly.

That Was Not How I Planned It

As the weeks go by I have learned many new ideas. As the many "aha moments" come, there are also those "I shouldn't have done that" moments. The students are settling into the classroom and I remain excited about student teaching. Through all of the meetings and adjustements being made I still try to find time to set up my future.

After Monday went really well in my endevor to Marcquezinize Athens-Clarke County Elementary Schools, I had run into a brick wall on Wednesday. Nothing was going the way that I intended for it to go on Wednesday afternoon. One of the most frustrating and amazing things about this job is that there are no two students who are the same. Which also means that there are no two classes that are the same, and that there are no two situations that are the same.

This can be very frustating for me as it was on Wednesday. I thought to myself as my endevors came to an end, "That was not how I planned it." Although things are picking up for me, I must always remember that there are times that we can really just be unlucky. It is at these moments that I thank God that I am always Blessed!

Welcome To Teaching

It has been a long week already and I've only blogged twice. I spend much of my time working on the weekend and it always seems as though I have something to do that keeps me from napping throughout the week. My father told me that overtime my body would start to become tired this semester. This is nothing new to me since it tends to happen every semester. It's interesting to see the teachers start the year bright and happy each day and as the year continues to go by, they slowly but surely start to become tired.

A good teacher pushes through these moments. It is impossible to "never" show the students that you are becoming worn down, but a really good teacher can manipulate the scene of their classroom enough to never show this as a weakness. It is important for us to show the students in our class the true meaning of perseverance.

As this blog comes to an end, I simply must remember that although my body may become tired, I have to push through for the children. Although this is very simple and it is not some extravagant revolution, I can simply sum this up with the phrase stated by my mentor teacher, "Welcome to teaching".

The Time Is Almost Here.

At the beginning of another week in the school, I'm starting to realize that I'm one subject away from lead teaching for three consecutive weeks. This can make any student teacher nervous if they are not mentally and physically prepared. I do not feel as though this will be the case for me as I am constantly unveiling new parts to the complex puzzle that is teaching.

I can remember starting out in the program almost 2 years ago. I've heard that time flies when you are having fun. I am having the time of my life with these children each semester and as I look back I can honestly say that time is flying by. I also look back at the beginning at the school year and I see that I will be practically halfway done with my student teaching in a week.

I am also vigorously working hard during this time towards the job hunt for next semester/next year. I have started contacting multiple administrators and I am really excited about starting my career. I remember starting the process of updating my resume and completing my cover letter and principal letter. It's hard to believe that although I feel as though I just started this journey, when it comes to completing it, the time is almost here.

Field Trip!

We had an amazing day on Thursday! The students were able to go on a Field Trip to the Sandy Creek Nature Center here in Athens. The 5th grade students take this trip each year and from what I understand from my mentor teacher, they always seem to have a great time. This was the case on Thursday as well. The children had a great time and they really enjoyed walking on the trail at the nature center.

The students also were able to learn about micro-organisms which the students spent time learning about a couple of weeks ago in science. They were able to review plant cells and animal cells and they were also able to view many of these things with microscopes. The children were able to really see how the concepts that they had learned in the classroom, were relevant to them in their daily lives.

I also feel as rejuvenated about the upcoming job search in the future. I don't want to look too far ahead, but I do want to be prepared for the "real world" once I graduate in December. I've been working diligently since the Summer to be sure that I have the opportunity to step into a position should one become available in January. Having my mentor teacher show that he really cares about me being placed in a great position and not just settle for anything is a great feeling. It shows me that he cares about my success as a person and not just a UGA student in his classroom for 3 months.

This is what education is all about. We have to show our students and the people who look up to us for advise that we care not just about a test, but about the success of our children. When we do this, they will feel like I did yesterday, motivated and determined to do well. It will spark a fire in them that grows and grows until they are blazing with success. This is what it means to be a true educator. We must remember that “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.”

I want to be that "Great Teacher" when I step into my own classroom!

Oh, and did I mention....we went on a Field Trip!

Sometimes You Have To Tweak It!

Over these past few weeks I've been able to teach many lessons and I've been able to see many lessons taught by various teachers. I often wonder how do the teachers who have taught for many years continue to come up with engaging lessons from year to year. With each student being different and each class having it's own identity, teachers have to be sure to cater to the needs of their current classes and students. However, some things can be recycled and reused if the lesson is successful. That is one of the benefits of spending year after year in the classroom.

Being able to see many different teachers has given me a wide variety of skills and points of emphasis to use during the lesson. I've also realized that the lessons don't always go as we plan them. We have to be prepared for the students who will finish their work early and we also have to be prepared for the student who may struggle with the lesson.

All of this can be fixed and controlled if the teacher is a facilitator and not a dictator. The teacher has to be open to change in their classroom. This also means being open to changes in each individual lesson as different situations arise. We must be sure that the students are constantly learning something valuable to them. To accomplish this task for our classrooms and students we have to realize that when it comes to lesson plans, sometimes you have to tweak it!

I Was Born For This!

After Monday's jam packed day, I went home and began to think of how much I loved what I am doing everyday. It was once said to me that if you love your job, you'll never truly be "working". This was made even clearer to me on Monday. All Summer long I've worked to prepare myself for my future career as an educator and I feel as though these past few weeks have only strengthened this push towards success for me in the future.


I've also realized that along with the good times come the difficult task of working with multiple colleagues. This is always a challenge seeing that I am in a career that is filled with the opposite gender. This has also been difficult for me in the past because of my race. This challenge does bring on tests that help to prepare me beyond what any college or class can prepare me for and for that, I am constantly faced with many new learning experiences.


When the day ends and I go home each day, I am thankful for my current opportunity for success. I am blessed to have such a supportive mentor teacher, supportive parents and family, and a very supportive fiance. I often times wish that I was already in my own classroom with my students, but the experiences that I am constantly gaining are vital to my success in the future.


I take these opportunities to constantly remind myself that education is about everything that surrounds us and that "Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything that he learned in school." I hope to continue to grow and gain these experiences over the next few weeks of student teaching. It is times like these that I fully understand and realize that I was born for this!

Observations

Over the past few semesters, I've had formal and informal observations that I've had to give to others, and observations that have been given to me. I believe observations have a great purpose when done correctly. I also understand that observations are something that will not go away. Teachers are observed by the Principal and after the meetings I've attended, I really see the importance of always being prepared to be observed.

I have had the chance over the past few weeks to give multiple observations and I've also been able to have people observe me. These have been great opportunities for me to learn many new techniques and to figure out what I needed to work on. I look forward to giving my last observation to my colleague and I've decided to have the principal of the school observe me during my full time lead teaching.

On Monday, I will have my first formal observation given to me by the university supervisor. I have to admit that I am slightly nervous but I feel as though I will do well. I'm excited for the opportunity to go ahead and show the university supervisor what I've learned over the past few weeks and over the past couple of years. Regardless of what position I hold in the field of education, I know and I'm comfortable with the fact that I will always have observations.

I Own It

Coming back from a 4 day weekend is an interesting experience. Some might think that the students would be well rested and relaxed from the extra days off but that was not the case for most of the day. It was however, really nice to get back into the classroom after a day of meetings.

Of course after my blog post Meetings, Meetings, and More Meetings, the day would not be complete without a couple of other meetings that included a goal setting meeting and an after school faculty and staff meeting. During the goal setting meeting, we learned about the new observation policy for the year.

The thing that stood out to me during this meeting the most was the quote from the principal, "You own it". This was said multiple times in relation to the teachers owning the responsibility of following all of the new rules set be the observation and goal setting forms. I like the idea that the teachers are not being judged by their student's CRCT scores.

The time is flying by. We are almost done with the fourth week of student teaching. This means the students have been in the classroom for five weeks. After all of the meetings of the week, I can say that the thing I've taken away most from the week is the fact that these observations that I am preparing for will never end as long as I am a teacher. I can only prepare myself in the best way that I know how and realize that at the end of the day, I own it!

I'd Much Rather Be Teaching

I love the idea of sleeping an extra hour each day. Being able to get to the schools by 8 instead of 7 was very refreshing on Tuesday. We had multiple seminars and planning meetings, which I knew would be the case since it was a teacher planning day. It was a great experience since this was the first time I've attended this type of meeting.

The first seminar on Excel lasted 3 hours. We had a break in the middle of the seminar and the teachers were able to get up if they needed to throughout the duration of the session. The seminar was very helpful and was not just something to do on a day that the students weren't there. It is however, true that teachers are the worst students.

I was able to have a working lunch during the data team meeting with my mentor teacher and the rest of the data team. This was interesting, but I felt priviledged to have the opportunity to work closely with the principal and assistant principal during this time.

After the data team meeting, we started our planning for next week. This is when a statement that my mentor teacher told me a few weeks ago popped back into my head. He told me that during teacher work days, I would get to the point where I wished I was simply teaching and not having seminars and meetings. I started to miss our class and the students and I eventually came to the simple conclusion that although I enjoyed the break that I got from the students, I'd much rather be teaching.

Meetings, Meetings, And More Meetings

If there is one thing I've noticed over the first three weeks of school, it is that we as educator meet a lot. There are meetings all of the time. There are data team meetings, 5th grade team meetings, university supervisor meetings/seminars, and faculty and staff meetings. We have meeting on every level to research the students, to prepare to teach the students, and then to talk about what we taught the students. We leave the classroom for hours, sometimes an entire day, to learn how we should instruct our students. Every time we turn around there is another meeting!

I'm not saying that meeting is bad. Education is always changing and evolving and therefore must be treated in that manner. I've heard that teachers are the worst students and therefore these seminars and meetings usually get tiresome after a while. We began to think of what we could do better or how we would present the session to our peers or even our students.

I've always seen myself as a business minded kind of guy. I feel as though productive meetings are vital to the evolution of our classrooms over the course of the year. We have to continuously find out how to best fit the needs of our class in the most challenging way. I guess a great way to do this, if done right, is attending meetings, meetings, and more meetings.

When The Honeymoon Is Over, The Real Work Begins

Do you remember the feeling when you first fall in love? Everything is great for you are your counterpart. Nothing seems to bother you and even though you have your problems, they all seem minuscule. We all feel as though this feeling will last forever although we are told that it's just the honeymoon stage. And although we hope to always love that significant other, we soon realize that this stage does come to an end.

Week 3 for me is almost over which means the kids have almost been in school for 1 complete month. My teacher pointed out that he recognized more students being disciplined over the past couple of days. He then goes on to make the statement "The honeymoon is over."

30 minutes later (during the first staff meeting of the school year) the principal starts to address the same issue. She also understands that the dynamic of the school is beginning to change a little. Students are becoming comfortable and therefore they are stretching the limits to see how far they will go. The also stated "The honeymoon is over."

So what does this all mean to me as an educator? There is a saying in Greek life from older times that says, "When the pledging ends, the real hazing begins." This simply means that once you have complete the part that seems to be the hardest, the real work for your organization begins. The long meetings, the late nights of planning for programs, the life time commitment to service that you make, etc., make you realize that the process was not as bad as you thought.

As educators, the honeymoon stage seems to be tough. This is the period when the teachers set the rules and become adjusted to their students. But once this period ends, it is our responsibility to work harder for the students in our classroom. My mentor teacher has a great resolution for this topic. He has informed me that a great approach is simply not to panic in the beginning. He likes to give the students 4-6 weeks to fully settle into the quick pace of the classroom.

With this plan, the students have more time to slow but fully settle into their classroom atmosphere, and before they know it, they are working extremely hard towards their goals for the end of the year. Simply put, when the honeymoon is over, the real work begins.