I have learned so much in these short weeks. Amongst all the
strategies and lessons and examples I realized that I had lost something that I
came in with. I had lost my fear. Yes math still makes me nervous and yes,
sometimes I have nightmares about being the one person in class who doesn’t
understand a math concept and every laughs at me and then they all turn into
pineapples. The point is, I never ever thought I could be excited to go to a
math class- scratch that- I never thought I would voluntarily ever take another
math class again, let alone teach one! And yet here I stand! (or more
truthfully, here I sit because I am not talented or fit enough to type standing
up). I still have so many questions and so much to learn but at least I know
that I can continue from this point armed with the resources and knowledge I
have been given by my professor and my peers. In the spirit of truthfulness and
hope, I wanted to make a list of things I’ve learned and ways I still need to
grow. Perhaps someone out there might match with at least one thing on my list.
In the end, this is more for me than anything else. I wanted to literally spell
out where I’ve come from and where I want to go. This blog is not the neatest,
smartest or most consistent one out there, but it is truthful. Every week I
missed, every mistake I made, every fear I have voiced. This is where I am at.
I would say it’s not a terribly good place but maybe I’m on the road to
somewhere better. I’m sorry this post is a bit rambly and rough. For an English
major I fear I’m really not doing a very good job of summing up my feelings.
Well then. On to the list.
Things I have learned:
Ask questions.
This is for teacher and student. Sometimes you might be
struggling to figure out what is in a student’s mind. Ask them. Get them to
tell you how they are feeling. On the other side of the teacher friend of mine
says that she always tells her students that if they don’t understand something
to ask a question. Don’t say “I don’t get it” that doesn’t tell why you don’t
understand, what you don’t understand, ask a question and we will figure out the answer together.
Repetition
Once you understand what the class is struggling with, go
back or spend more time than you originally intended and address the problem.
This doesn`t mean you stop for each little problem, but if you see an error
that is becoming a pattern, or if after a test or assignment you see that the
majority of students have made the same mistake, pay attention to that. It
might mean there is a gap in your teaching, or a gap in their previous
knowledge or the concept might be more difficult to grasp than you had supposed
it would be.
Cultivate Your
Resources
This means knowing your curriculum documents inside out,
knowing where to find the best resources for specific subjects, or, if there
isn`t much to be found in the usual places, pioneer your own lists. The more
you learn, the more you explore, the wider your lens becomes. And if you feel
that you have something, a strategy or resource, that you would like to share,
you should go for it. If nothing else, you have gathered your thoughts and you have reflected. That is a worthy pursuit.
Ways I Can Grow
Read and Re-Read my
Textbooks
To be honest, I just completely forget some aspects of math
because it’s just been so long since I was in contact with them. The Learning
Presentations, my textbook and the math refresher course definitely helped me
remember a lot of the concepts that were gathering dust in the corners of my
mind, but I know I still need a BIG review. I guess it’s a good thing I have
several siblings in elementary school who would be more than willing to let me
peruse their textbooks.
Getting Organized
This really needs no explanation. I now firmly believe that to be a good teacher you HAVE to be organized. And with math in particular, you need to plan ahead and make sure the lessons and units flow well into each other and figure out what do to when you start to fall behind. This is by far my worst quality as a student, possibly one of my worst qualities as a human. Because I think my lack of organization keeps me from succeeding more than I would like to mention.
Ask. For. Help.
No matter what you are doing, no matter what problem you are facing. People want to help. And in a school community, there is help everywhere. UTILIZE IT.
There is so much more I could say, and maybe one day I will. But for now, it is time to move on. In the words of King Theoden: forth and fear no darkness.
Until we meet again,
Bernadette
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