In watching other teachers teach, preparing myself mentally for teaching, one thing I noticed was the setting of class rules. Some teachers are more autocratic about it... they set the rules. Others let students collaborate to come up with what they deem to be appropriate. By and large, I decided on the second approach, as this is more their class than it is mine. So I simply grabbed my marker, and stood at the whiteboard, while students called out ideas. As a class, they discussed them, combined some, eradicated others, and then and only then, I added a few of my own. This process took us maybe 15-20 minutes in class, plus a few on my own for typing them up and posting them later. I lie that we kept them simple on the whole, which makes them easier to remember.
You can read our class rules here! CLASS RULES
Friday, August 26, 2016
Tuesday, August 23, 2016
The First Day...
The first day of class was, for lack of a better term, terrifying. I have been a student seemingly forever. I have experienced good teachers and bad. I thought the transition wouldn't be, couldn't be, that hard... until I was there.
"There" is a small classroom on the second floor of a fairly institutional-looking building. At least it has windows looking out over the courtyard. I've been in classrooms without windows, and they feel somewhat claustrophobic. "There" is standing in front of a group of unfamiliar faces, my back to the whiteboard, throat dry, mind completely blank. I've stood in front of a class before -- presentations in junior high and high school; more presentations in college as an undergrad; even "teaching" the class in grad school (I'm working on my MA in English Rhetoric & Composition). But to be utterly in charge of the fate of sixteen individuals, all fresh to college life... well, that is a wee bit unnerving. Okay, really unnerving.
Even though it's embarrassing, I admit that I had all these fantasies in my head before walking in that door. Fantasies where I was the awesome teacher, where I had witty things to say, and so much to offer that my students would instantly declare me the best teacher ever.
That is, sadly, not what happened.
They are/were so quiet. We even did an ice-breaker game, which I was really hoping would break them out of their shells, but it didn't. Sure, they answered the question their thumb landed on, and tossed the ball to the next student, but that's as far as that went. [Note: the game works as follows: take a large rubber ball, and write all over it, asking questions like "Favorite animal?", "Best book you ever read?", and things of that sort. Toss it from person to person, with each one answering the question a thumb lands on.]
Then it was just dead silence again.
Yes, I know it is their first day of college. I know they are away from home, in a whole new world, with a lot facing them over the next year. I guess I need to be patient, and hope that the awesome conversations will come!
I do have kind of a funny story though. I knew our classes were limited to 16 students, so imagine my consternation in finding that I had seventeen! Student 17 was not on my attendance sheet, but I thought maybe there was a mix-up somewhere. She was one of the only students that actually spoke out in class, which I really appreciated. After class, I emailed my advisor and the department secretary, only to find out Student 17 should have been in the class next door. Oops.
"There" is a small classroom on the second floor of a fairly institutional-looking building. At least it has windows looking out over the courtyard. I've been in classrooms without windows, and they feel somewhat claustrophobic. "There" is standing in front of a group of unfamiliar faces, my back to the whiteboard, throat dry, mind completely blank. I've stood in front of a class before -- presentations in junior high and high school; more presentations in college as an undergrad; even "teaching" the class in grad school (I'm working on my MA in English Rhetoric & Composition). But to be utterly in charge of the fate of sixteen individuals, all fresh to college life... well, that is a wee bit unnerving. Okay, really unnerving.
Even though it's embarrassing, I admit that I had all these fantasies in my head before walking in that door. Fantasies where I was the awesome teacher, where I had witty things to say, and so much to offer that my students would instantly declare me the best teacher ever.
That is, sadly, not what happened.
They are/were so quiet. We even did an ice-breaker game, which I was really hoping would break them out of their shells, but it didn't. Sure, they answered the question their thumb landed on, and tossed the ball to the next student, but that's as far as that went. [Note: the game works as follows: take a large rubber ball, and write all over it, asking questions like "Favorite animal?", "Best book you ever read?", and things of that sort. Toss it from person to person, with each one answering the question a thumb lands on.]
Then it was just dead silence again.
Yes, I know it is their first day of college. I know they are away from home, in a whole new world, with a lot facing them over the next year. I guess I need to be patient, and hope that the awesome conversations will come!
I do have kind of a funny story though. I knew our classes were limited to 16 students, so imagine my consternation in finding that I had seventeen! Student 17 was not on my attendance sheet, but I thought maybe there was a mix-up somewhere. She was one of the only students that actually spoke out in class, which I really appreciated. After class, I emailed my advisor and the department secretary, only to find out Student 17 should have been in the class next door. Oops.
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