First, the good part. I think that I am going to have a great time working with these students. We are planning to do lots of fun, hands-on activities. Every student is going to get their own caterpillar to observe for a few weeks to see what happens... don't wreck the surprise ending! This class has a lot of very smart kids in it who will be ready to jump into science. They were tossing around terms like "chlorophyll" during story time last week. I know they'll be able to get into this unit. I am also excited to teach this class because they haven't had any science yet this year. I think they will have fun with it.
There is also a little kid part of me that's really eager to do this science kit because I have never done this experiment myself. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens to our little caterpillar friends!
Although I am mainly excited to get going, part of me is nervous about the coming weeks too. I have done some tutoring and worked with small groups of students, but I have never stood in front of an elementary school class with all eyes (hopefully) on me and tried to teach a full lesson. I'm big on planning which I think will be beneficial. The flip side of that is that I don't always like surprises or having to improvise, which I'm sure will happen on a weekly basis. There are so many what-ifs to think about. What if the kids get bored? What if we finish 10 minutes early with nothing else planned? What if all the caterpillars die? What if the lesson goes off the tracks? What if I lose control of the class and there are kids and caterpillars going every which way?
I think that most of my concerns are shared by a lot of new teachers. They are the things that probably get easier with time. I'm sure that planning, knowing your students, and managing the class all require practice. Hopefully none of these will be big issues because as I said before, I am really excited about the science part of teaching science. I think it's going to be a good 7 weeks!
Lindsay- I can relate to your nerves! Just like you, I am concerned with planning for the un-planned. Obviously, not everything is going to go perfect and it is up to us to improvise...ahhhh! Hopefully, it will become natural, and everything that we have been doing/learing since May will be put to good use!
ReplyDeleteHey Lindsay! I think all of us new up and coming teachers are all very excited yet very nervous, and I think thats normal! Who wouldn't be nervous getting infront of a whole class and having all their attention on you! It's something new, and I believe all of us will grow confidence the more and more we teach; its only the beginning! I have confidence that you will do great & the students will love you! I think science is a great subject to start with, because all students love science and its mainly hands on! =)
ReplyDeleteDito- excited and nervous! I definitely get the "kicked out of the nest" feeling, but it might be the best way for us to really get ready for being out there in the real world of teaching! I'm super nervous, but trying to stay optimistic! I would observe classrooms forever if they'd let me, but as of now I definitely don't feel confident that I could do it with a class of second graders on my own! Im very happy to at least have a co-teacher for this endeavor.... Good luck! you will be great!
ReplyDeleteps I'm jealous that your doing butterflies:)