Week One: New Teachers, New Students, New Everything

This week, I finally went to West Henderson High School! I was a little nervous to meet my cooperating teacher, Mrs. Davis, on Tuesday, but I learned quickly that there was nothing to be scared of. She was much too welcoming when I first arrived, and immediately let me introduce myself to all of the students.

Once her planning period began, Mrs. Davis was able to bring me around the school, giving me a nice tour and letting me all of the other staff members that she works with. Many of them claimed that I'm working with the best in Mrs. Davis, and I'm sure that they're right about that. 

I even got to help a student right after I arrived! He told Mrs. Davis that he needed help with some homework--not from her, but from me. I couldn't believe it! Of course, he was working on Algebra II work, which I'm a bit rusty in, but I gave it my best shot, and I really think he was starting to understand it. 

I went back on Thursday, and Mrs. Davis had arranged for me to shadow a couple of other teachers on her hall. I had only seen Mrs. Davis in her element briefly the day before, and expected to work with her again then, but she wanted me to get a more diverse experience early on.

To do so, she got me into the classroom of Mr. Parent, a 9th grade English teacher and West Henderson Alum. By doing so, she gave me a chance to see a male teacher in a high school classroom--something you don't see every day--and to see what it was like in the 9th grade setting. He handled the lessons well (punctuation and capitalization, and point-of-view), especially for a teacher of only 3 or 4 years. It seems that he will be a good role model at West Henderson.

I also shadowed a teacher of upwards of 25 years, who was very kind and ran her classroom smoothly. Perhaps it was because she had an honors class at the time, but I am more inclined to say that her personality is what does the trick. She's just too nice to start any trouble!

I am looking forward to the coming week, as I feel it will involve me getting a bit more hands-on in the classroom and getting to know the students better.

I can't wait!

Being Anxious Isn't A Bad Thing

This was the first week of classes back at Western Carolina University, and it seems so far that I have a couple of classes that are essential to my success this semester with professors who are dedicated to helping me whenever possible, which makes the upcoming semester a bit less menacing.

However, I have yet to actually meet my cooperating teacher, Mrs. Teresa Davis. Until this past Wednesday, I was scheduled to meet her and get to know her classroom, the school, and the rest of her team on Thursday. Unfortunately, a meeting and training session came u that left her unable to meet, except for early in the morning, and I was too far away to meet her on time.

There is good news about her meeting though--she now has access to a brand new iPad 2 in her classroom! This will open up entirely new possibilities for the 22-year teacher, and I am sincerely hoping that we will be able to find a few new uses together.

As things stand now, I will be attending the first days of West Henderson's classes, hopefully attending for a short period on Monday and for the entire day on Tuesday. I expect that this will be the best time to meet the students--on the day that Mrs. Davis does as well. I hope that this will let the students get used to both she and I as their teachers, rather than becoming acquainted with her first and then seeing me as a total outsider.

Being there all day on Tuesday will also allow me to do some planning with Mrs. Davis, to see what kind of lessons she thinks I should teach, and what I can do in the meantime. I'm incredibly excited to be up in front of the class to teach for the first time, but I am anxious knowing that it will be a long road. Thankfully, I have numerous supporters, and I know that mistakes are opportunities to learn and grow.

Time to Learn

Over the upcoming semester, I will be posting numerous blogs reflecting on my experiences in the classroom of Teresa Davis as I prepare to enter my own classroom in just over a year. These blogs will be used to review my progress in the classroom--have I been learning new strategies, or been interacting the students in a more professional an efficient way? These questions and more will be tackled as I aim to learn and absorb new and different methods of teaching--hopefully lending an air of freshness to potentially stale classrooms across the state.

Taking a self-reflective stance is difficult, especially when I may be afraid of admitting that I've done something wrong. But, in order to be the best teacher I can be, I will observe my actions and methods objectively, and improve on them over the course of the next year.

So, stay tuned for new content and developments from me as I enter West Henderson High School English classroom, and set about on a long road of education.