My first class

So first of all, I left my spiral, which had my lesson plan for the day, in my apartment. I showed up fifteen minutes early (luckily) and was able to sit down and quickly sketch out another lesson plan, though I knew it wasn't going to be what I needed. I went into the classroom and there were only a few students at this point, one of which was super nice and told me I was going to do fine. I was appreciative, but at the same time I'm like, "You know nothing! This is going to be terrible! I want to apologize in advance for how awful I'm going to do!" So anyway, everyone was in the classroom, I collect papers, etc. and I felt kind of alright. Kind of. So I start telling them how I'm going to be teaching for the next few weeks, how we will visit the library in that time, and how I hope I do alright. So it started pretty seamlessly with me going through the details of their assignment on Bb, then I started my power point as planned. Phew. I know I'm not talking too quickly, which is a problem of mine no matter where I am, because I'm making sure to make eye contact with as many students as possible in order to time my words- does that make sense? So the power point is going alright, but I feel the sweat drops rolling down my back. I get even more nervous when I feel it in my armpits. "Oh crap. Now I have sweat marks." This is obviously only going to make the matter worse. I sneak to the corner while the students are brainstorming stuff on their papers and check my pits... just to make sure. No stains. We're in the clear- for now. After their brainstorming ends, I glance at the clock and realize it's only been TEN MINUTES!!!! WHATTTTT!?????< Why am I so fast?!?!?! I started getting freaked out since I'm basically all the way through my lesson plan. I thought I had spoken slowly and given them ample time to brainstorm, but apparently I have a terrible time-keeping device in my brain OR I'm a relative of The Flash.

I fall into utilizing a group activity, since I can't think of anything to talk about and I can't possibly end class 40 minutes early... I wish. The group activity sucked. I didn't explain it well, though I'm attributing that to my not having planned it from the beginning. I tried to do what my mentor does and talk a bit after group discussions, but apparently I don't do it well and she takes over a bit. I'm completely relieved, but I'm also hoping the students don't think of her taking over as a sign that I sucks- though that's exactly what I'm thinking. She didn't do it in an embarrassing way or anything by any means, but I still hid in the corner like a scared little puppy. So they're dismissed, I wipe off the blackboard, and walk towards my mentor. She tells me she has a cookie for me. I ask her if it's a literal cookie, or a cookie of advice, and she says a real chocolate chip cookie. I really feel I don't deserve it. I take it out of courtesy, but I wanted to give it back and simply take a cookie of advice. Give me your cookie of English wisdom!!

Lettuce discuss

In comp tale #19, the author discusses a few problems I'm dreading when I begin teaching. While the situation described in neither completely out of control nor inappropriate to the classroom, I will escalate the issues. First of all, the issue of attempting to regain control of a class discussion looms over my head me since I digress really easily and I feel this will be a consistent struggle in my classroom throughout the entire semester. I don't think I'll really mind going "off topic" for a short amount of time, but I want to make sure I'm able to keep the students from distracting me and also to get them back on topic quickly. The second issue is when the teacher isn't completely aware of what the correct answer to a question is and what to do when that is the case. As I have discussed with my mentor, the simplest, and usually most efficient, solution is to say "You know what? I'm not sure." Perhaps then offering to look up the information yourself or asking a student to volunteer to look it up themselves. I feel like this could be a good thing as it could encourage not only a new line of discussion- making sure it's relevant, of course- but perhaps encourage students to do work outside of the classroom. I mean, I'm sure we all know how much students LOVE to work outside of class. But perhaps if it is interesting enough and the students are ACTUALLY curious, it could be a good thing, right?

Silence

I have never been a person to appreciate or endorse silence. Whether eating dinner, while in the car, or more recently in the classroom, I find silence uncomfortable. There is a certain wave of nervousness I feel wash over my body when I'm subjected to more than perhaps 3 seconds of silence in almost any setting. As I've been shadowing my mentor's class, this has been a harsh aspect to accept. I have found that this tool is very useful during the lecture classes when taking a "power pause" in your speech so as to give the students' brains a moment to digest the information. But what of the students' silence? It is difficult to force students to speak, and the teacher almost always must take the initiative to continue the discussion. Strategies such as volunteering a student, simply restating the question, or rephrasing the questions in a more assisting fashion are common, but may not bring about the wanted results. While some classrooms are lucky enough to have one or more students who are not afraid of discussing their ideas, how do we as instructors create an environment where all students feel comfortable enough to voice their opinions without fear of judgement? Though a simple statement of "Don't be afraid to speak up in here" could be an option, this problem will not be put to rest so simply. As is with almost any classroom, there is an ebb and flow of the students' willingness to participate wholeheartedly in class discussions. For the times when silence seems more drawn out and the students are less active in voicing their opinions, what should be done? Should the instructor take on the responsibility of pushing the discussion along, or should we allow the students to remain silent until one of the brave souls speaks up?

Numero Uno

The issue of students of lower-class lifestyles being hindered from receiving a higher education due to legal issues, health issues, etc. is expanding and affecting more educational facilities with each new year. Educators, in some instances, have become extremely devoted to their school communities even to the point of encouraging their students and peers to form personal bonds as well as professional. While this could be a good thing, is it placing too much pressure on the educator? Though educators are in essence working almost solely for the benefit of their students, when there is only so much they can do, should they place themselves under that much stress? It can be argued that educators, especially in America, are neither compensated nor appreciated adequately for the amount of work they do outside of the classroom: reading countless papers, creating lesson plans, grading a multitude of tests, sometimes making remarks on many if not all of them. Should the students then expect them to try and go above and beyond the school policies to assist the students in need? Though it is completely on a personal level that educators can decide whether or not to assist a particular student, is it still okay to help one student over another? This obviously should not be a factor when assisting students as it could be seen as dishonest or favoritism, which would not roll over well with the school board and parents alike. How can we deal with this issue? I simple think we can't. There are deeper, underlying rules in place that stop teachers from assisting students in need. While most could be glossed over, altered for the individual, or completely negated, it is not so simply done. To quote Sebastian from Disney's Little Mermaid, "...You give them an inch, they swim all over." Analogous to the issue at hand, if we allow one teacher to bypass certain rules for a student, others will soon follow. This snowball effect could greatly decline our educational system further than it already is. Though I personally agree with helping student's with issues such as the student in Newman's Comp Tale, J. Johnson, changing the rules for an individual is very problematic.

ERMAHGERD

In an effort to take the idea of a meme assignment into my own hands, I created this one for everyone to enjoy. I hope at least some people understand what I'm alluding to and appreciate my effort. Though I guess it can't really be considered a "blog post" since it's simply a picture, I feel like it kind of adequately describes my feelings towards the subject of rhetoric. Please keep in mind I don't mean to insinuate anything negative towards that subject. I just wanted to poke some fun at the fact that I know very little about the subject, I'm a bit overwhelmed by it, and this version of the exclamation OMG really cracks me up. Perhaps I'll utilize this meme in my future classes- if y'all deem it appropriate in certain settings and funny. Thoughts?