After barely 3 weeks of student
teaching, I have realized that we have learned a lot about teaching and
education in the year that we have participated in this program. So much that
we probably all have very strong views about the politics of education, and
what we want our classrooms to look and feel like. Regrettably, I don’t think I
will be able to fully express those ideas in the school or classroom I’m
interning in.
I wonder if doing
student teaching toward the end of the certification process is standard.
Because I think if I would have student taught at the beginning of our journey,
I wouldn’t be as critical and annoyed about the daily happenings of my current
high school.
What I’m learning
at my placement is that there are some realities of teaching that I often do
not consider and maybe have forgotten since working in Miami. It seems that
everyone is still only concerned about testing and building a curriculum around
it. At times I feel like an Alien or an oddball because people actually think this
is a good thing. As I watch and share in the students’ dismay, I think they
actually think that they’re teaching them something.
I am not trying to
discredit what I’ve observed so far at this school, I guess what I’m trying to
say is that I don’t feel like I fit in with my colleagues. I feel like what I’m
seeing does not fit with my personal beliefs on teaching and education. We see
things differently is all.
But I’m not
discouraged, the connections I’ve made with some of my students have been huge
and I’m thankful for those experiences. I don’t have to wonder if students
would rather be active rather than passive in a classroom, or have lessons that
are relevant to them and their communities. They show me everyday.
Student agency is
an important theme that came up in the Johnston reading. I like that Johnston
pushes for students to become active meaning makers, not just machines who know
the elements of plot, how to write short answer responses and can apply that to
a rather meaningless test. I know these standardized tests are here to stay but
there has to be time made for learning that is much more stimulating and helps
the students grow as intellectuals.
I think that your interning experience right now is really valuable, despite the differences in ideology, if only because it is a realistic school. Getting used to those feelings now and looking for ways to make the classroom and the curriculum your own are going to make you such a strong teacher once we're done. I definitely see where you'd be frustrated. I think that I would too.
ReplyDeleteJohnston's discussion of student agency is so critical and I keep thinking about it every day. How can I facilitate my students' identity development, and how can I make them value who they are as readers and writers when so many are convinced that they don't like reading and writing. Maybe another reading of Choice Words would help me think of some more ideas.