Talking about vulnerabilities in class was eye-opening. My top concern is not having my own children. I have always felt that this has put me at a disadvantage. I thought that it would give a better experience with understanding child development and relating to kids (even though I have never had any problems interacting with children). However, my group brought up a good point. By not having my own kids, I have a fresh slate. I won’t be tempted to talk or treat my student’s like I would my own children. They saw my vulnerability as a positive. It was also interesting to hear the vulnerabilities of others in my group. We all have our own insecurities and it was beneficial to talk about them.
I realized that I definitely need to think about how to respond to students who are having strong emotions. Besides trying to defuse the situation and talk to the student, or have them take a 10-count, the number of strategies I have to draw upon is low. What would be a good resource to get information from?
At this point, while I’m not in the moment, I think I could probably teach most challenging subject without an issue. Being a scientist, I tend to fall back onto the facts. I would need to find credible resources to give me confidence in what I am teaching. My one concern would be with answering questions. I worry that I would give too much information or inappropriate information for the age of the student. I work in an area that deals with some tough circumstances. Sometimes I think I am a little too desensitized to things that would bother everyone else and not aware enough of other peoples sensitivities.
I really appreciated having time to work on the visual field trip. It gave us a great start on the project.
Jennifer, I love how your table mates affirmed you during the discussion! If you are working with a topic you are not sure about always think about: a) asking others what they think (like your PLC) b) check with your principal, or c) pose the topic to students by way of primary source and let them make their own meaning. I have found from my experiences that I end up being much more worried about topics than they are! Plus…give yourself some credit! You have common sense and gut feelings. Follow them!
Jennifer, I love how your table mates affirmed you during the discussion! If you are working with a topic you are not sure about always think about a) asking others what they think (like your PLC) b) check with your principal, or c) pose the topic to students by way of primary source and let them make their own meaning. I have found from my experiences that I end up being much more worried about topics than they are! Plus…give yourself some credit! You have common sense and gut feelings. Follow them!