This week, I feel like I have feelings and thoughts on an array of things, so I apologize if things seemed scrambled but thats how my brain feels! I am still really enjoying my experiences at FSHS, and I have no complaints there. Having an additional class is adding a lot of stress to this semester, but I think it will be worth it in the end. Mostly I am enjoying my co-teaching experiences. I feel like I am really getting to know a lot of the students, as well as the additional faculty. The students see me as an equal, and I am eager to help them. I think that having an experienced, intelligent, and well respected mentor teacher has helped me immensely. She gave me all the necessary tools and information to take into the classroom so that I would be useful and successful. However, some friends of mine are not having the same experience. I have heard a lot of "one teach one observe" being done, as well as a lot of disrespect towards student teachers. My concern/question is, when is enough enough? I am curious when it is appropriate to step up and take a stand in someone else's classroom. Luckily, I have not had to deal with any of these issues, but I have a feeling that sometime down the road in my career I will have to. Another thing that I have learned from all of this is that as a special educator, we are truly an advocate for the student. I am not saying that general educators do not advocate for their students, but they seem to have different intentions. I have found myself already bending over backwards to help students, especially when they have no where else to go. I feel that students in special education are often "given up on", and it is our job to be a support for these children. There is constant communication between staff and students concerning their problems and questions, and I have witnessed that these students rely on teachers to make it through the day. FSHS has really given me the opportunity to dig deep into myself to figure out what I was really doing as a teacher. It isn't just about teaching core content, it extends all the way to talking about the students' hopes and dreams, and the frequent problems they encounter. I really care what happens to them, and I find myself constantly thinking about ways to help. So I guess this is the part of teaching that we can't read about in books!
Wow, Stephanie--I am so glad you are having such a wonderful experience. You're a great model for stretching out of your comfort zone--something none of us do often enough.
This week, I feel like I have feelings and thoughts on an array of things, so I apologize if things seemed scrambled but thats how my brain feels! I am still really enjoying my experiences at FSHS, and I have no complaints there. Having an additional class is adding a lot of stress to this semester, but I think it will be worth it in the end. Mostly I am enjoying my co-teaching experiences. I feel like I am really getting to know a lot of the students, as well as the additional faculty. The students see me as an equal, and I am eager to help them. I think that having an experienced, intelligent, and well respected mentor teacher has helped me immensely. She gave me all the necessary tools and information to take into the classroom so that I would be useful and successful. However, some friends of mine are not having the same experience. I have heard a lot of "one teach one observe" being done, as well as a lot of disrespect towards student teachers. My concern/question is, when is enough enough? I am curious when it is appropriate to step up and take a stand in someone else's classroom. Luckily, I have not had to deal with any of these issues, but I have a feeling that sometime down the road in my career I will have to. Another thing that I have learned from all of this is that as a special educator, we are truly an advocate for the student. I am not saying that general educators do not advocate for their students, but they seem to have different intentions. I have found myself already bending over backwards to help students, especially when they have no where else to go. I feel that students in special education are often "given up on", and it is our job to be a support for these children. There is constant communication between staff and students concerning their problems and questions, and I have witnessed that these students rely on teachers to make it through the day. FSHS has really given me the opportunity to dig deep into myself to figure out what I was really doing as a teacher. It isn't just about teaching core content, it extends all the way to talking about the students' hopes and dreams, and the frequent problems they encounter. I really care what happens to them, and I find myself constantly thinking about ways to help. So I guess this is the part of teaching that we can't read about in books!
ReplyDeleteWow, Stephanie--I am so glad you are having such a wonderful experience. You're a great model for stretching out of your comfort zone--something none of us do often enough.
ReplyDelete