Sure we had an idea of what to do in our heads, but getting it on paper and "pouring concrete" for the entire semester hasn't really happened yet - at least not to my liking.
In a nutshell I can share that:
- They (the students) were scared and shy. After all they are having a class with the principal and myself!
- We were scared too.
- They were "scared-er".
- It takes a lot longer to actually get any task done with a full class than one visualizes.
- Teaching young minds is easy and it's hard - not what I imagined from the outside.
We asked for first impressions today about the "student guide to leadership" that we've developed. When asked "what emotions did you feel", one student said it made him "proud to be a part of this." That statement was so honest and raw I wasn't prepared with a response, but it keeps resonating with me. I believe that PRIDE in what you are doing is vital to the success of a task and one can draw strength from it... I think I just learned something!
Oh, how I miss the first day of school... the cute, scared faces of a new class full of students. All the hopes and expectations for the year, not yet clouded by any challenges, conflict, or exhaustion.
ReplyDeleteI am a little disappointed, though not surprised, that you and Gary didn't create a detailed lesson plan for the entire semester during your free time this summer. But, in all honesty, I'm sure with a class like this, you will be planning and revising your plans as you go - the fact that you have a goal in mind and some ideas about the trajectory is all you need.
I like your comments about pride - that seems to include that you have to feel proud not only of how well you are doing the task assigned to you (typical in school), but also feel good about the task itself, value the task and its relevance, and take ownership of the task.
Thank you for accurately painting the first-day picture Jen. I am really proud to be a part of this process. The more formal plans will come for this class. I'm just anxious right now as you can imagine.
ReplyDeleteNot having a book or curriculum to fall back on makes it hard for us since this is all totally new on several levels. (New class, new teachers, new year, etc...) It's also very freeing in that we can just about discuss anything on any day and just run with it, but I'm just not there yet. It will take me awhile to get comfortable with the kids and this class, but I suppose that's a process that goes on for every teacher!