Week 14: One Step at a Time

There are lots of stairs in my school. Every morning, I walk up 4 flights of stairs to my classroom, and above me, there are 6 more flights remaining. Throughout the day, I probably walk up and down at least 25 flights total. That can be an overwhelming amount just thinking about it, and it sometimes overwhelms my students a bit too, as they have a tendency to ask, "can we just take the lift?" The school wants students to use the stairs because it "builds character," so I respond with, "no, we'll just take it one flight and one step at a time."

Taking it one step at a time--that is similar to student teaching.

As I am coming to the end of my student teaching, I recall how overwhelming this semester seemed at the beginning. There were assignments to complete, students to teach, and the looming edTPA in the near future. And it's true, there are so many different aspects to student teaching, that when you look at it all at once, it is bound to be overwhelming. The edTPA, five classroom observations, weekly blogposts, daily lesson planning, classroom management, grading, and so much more. Oh, and on top of that, you should try and find a job. Yes, it's a lot.

It's kind of like 25 flights of stairs--overwhelming at seemingly impossible first, but can in fact be done by taking it one week, one assignment, and one step at a time.

These past few weeks, I was able to take a few more steps towards my journey in becoming an educator. Two weeks ago, I got my edTPA scores back (and passed!), which was a huge weight off my shoulders, and a seemingly giant step. At the beginning of the semester, the edTPA seemed too much to handle, but after taking it task by task and part by part, I eventually completed it.

Another huge step for me that happened a week and a half ago was getting a job! The past semester was crazy busy, and a job search only added more worry and stress to that busyness. Yet somehow, by the providence and guidance of God, I found, interviewed for, and accepted a job in the midst of all the chaos.

Okay, those were both some pretty huge steps. This week, I completed my final observation for student teaching, which might not seem as big, but it's another step nonetheless. I taught a math lesson about understanding and measuring volume, and I had my students all make their own unit cube from a net, which stood for one square unit. Then they used the cubes to collaborate with each other to experiment with and form other shapes with different volumes. We even gathered on the carpet for part of the lesson, which is usually quite a feat considering their typical behavior.

Another step that I'm working on is still classroom management. I've made small steps of progress throughout my time here, but I definitely don't have it all figured out yet. I have learned that students need a behavior management system in place at the beginning of the year. It is difficult for someone to come in and expect them to behave when their previous teacher does not have those same expectations. I have learned more about what to do and what not to do through this placement, especially with behavior management. This week I had the students doing mini performances in front of each other to practice the do's and don'ts of giving good speeches. In this activity they were engaged with watching their classmates, talked less than they usually do, and learned a lot about giving demonstrative speeches. It was a win in my book as far as classroom management goes. I look a back at the semester and see how far I have come (and they have come) in classroom management. It's encouraging to see this progress, no matter how small it may be. They stand in line a little better than they used to compared to when I came, they listen to me a little more than they used to, and they participate better now than when I first started. We're definitely not there yet, but step by step, we're getting there.

At the end of this two day week, I can see the top of the stairs. It's one more week of student teaching, a flight home, and a few final things to wrap up and I'm done. Student teaching (that thing that seemed like 25 flights of stairs) will be over and complete. It definitely wan't completed all at once, but it took one step at a time. When my students take the stairs because it "builds character," I do the same, and I'm doing the same now. Student teaching has been a journey, and although at times I wish I could take the lift past it all, I am thankful for taking it one step at a time, because suddenly, those 25 flights of stairs seem so close and oh so worth it.


Classroom Confidential: Chapter 11
So far in all of my placements, I have gotten to experience parent teacher conferences once, and that was at this placement in Indonesia. I got to watch a few different teacher facilitate their conferences, and it was interesting to see how each one communicated differently through their words, their mannerisms, and their responses. Communicating with parents effectively is extremely important because students' home life plays such a crucial role in their education and vice versa. In many cases, the teacher may be seeing the student more than the parents during the school year.

Through reading chapter 11, Schmidt taught me a few things about communication with parents, specifically with parent teacher conferences. For awhile, it seemed to me that PTCs were for the parents to be informed, but really, it is also a time for teacher to gather as much information about that student, so that they can best know how to teach that particular student most effectively. Schmidt also highlighted that this communication should be frequent, not just for PTCs. This can be done through weekly newsletter, frequent updates, and emails with the parents.

As I will be teaching overseas in Malaysia next year, I know that I will have to communicate with parents who speak a different language, resulting in a language barrier. This can be especially tricky to navigate. Because of this chapter, I feel better prepared cross-cultural communication with parents. There are so many different aspects to think about such as gestures, symbols, mannerisms, and so many other things that must be taken into account as they pertain to the cultures of those parents. What it comes down to is researching a little bit about that culture and their communication styles. Even things such as silence and the speed of speech can be a game changer for face-to-face communication!