We're off and running...

There are some really great answers to the questions I posed - nice work! You are correct, they are very loaded, but I did that on purpose. I think sometimes you can ask a question that won't necessarily get answered, but in the attempt to answer some really interesting stuff emerges. And that's what has happened!

I'm not sure it's necessary to respond to everything you wrote at this moment, but there are a couple interesting points that I would like to touch on.

First - I think your comments about goals for the spring are interesting. What I read in that section is two levels of goals. There are the goals that pertain to your classroom practice and everyday actions with students, and goals that are performance or time-line based. I think your concern for the progress of students with IEPs and male students of color are admirable. Do you think it's possible to state these goals more specifically as a safe guard against excluding other students in your teaching? What I mean is, I think your goals are great but I would want to make sure that you don't become too focused on specific groups of students. It's tricky! And I don't expect you to be able to articulate your exact thoughts, but be aware of how you attend to students as the weeks progress and see if you are able to offer the one-to-one help you wish to. The bottom line is that effective and equitable attention is something that will take time for you as a teacher to develop.

The second level of goals, the performance or time-line based goals are also important. We talked about lesson planning and perhaps instead of having everything planned out by Sunday night, we compromise. I think having Mon-Wed clearly defined with Thurs-Fri sketched out (but kept flexible) is a very reasonable place to start. What do you think? Have you talked with Joy about this? Also, the goal of having 5 students pursue honors is great! Perhaps you should chat with Joy about that and see whether even more is reasonable? She is a great resource and your relationship with her seems fantastic, so take advantage!!

I would like to get back to your points of anxiety, nervousness, etc. - but we'll do that later. For now, how about addressing these three questions in the next post:

1. What do you think are your strengths as a teacher?
2. What do you think are your weaknesses?
3. Can you propose ideas for how your strengths may help to develop your weaknesses?

2 days in and we've already tackled A LOT!! Going great though, so:

Tuesday, the day after tomorrow...

so i wasn't sure if you wanted me to comment on your post, or make a new one...so i'm opting for the latter.

these are loaded questions! i've been thinking about them over the past couple days, and here's some of the ramblings extracted from my head...

What do you think your role is going into this semester?
i think up until this time, i have been The Intern. on Tuesday, i will still be The Intern, but instead of the role i have played as a "co-teacher/assistant to Ms. B" i will be The Teacher! very exciting, and concurrently very overwhelming. i am a bit anxious as to how my students will perceive me...though this is a new semester and i will have brand new students, a few of them were in my seminar class last semester and ALL students at BAA know who the interns are. despite whatever labels might already be fixed, i'm jumping into Tuesday morning as a teacher, as their teacher, and i'm psyched.

What does it mean to be a teacher and why are you interested in it?
to me being a teacher means investing in kids' lives, daily introducing their minds to new knowledge, challenging preconceived notions of themselves, and enhancing their innate thirst for learning. teachers - many times more than parents and friends - are in a position of incredible power to influence, to encourage, to motivate, and to love kids. these reasons are at the forefront of why i chose to pursue a teaching career. additionally, my heart is for the poor and overlooked of society, and granting more equitable access to education is paramount for closing economical gaps in our country and worldwide. i desire to empower my students...it's my job to give them the academic tools for success, but knowledge, skills, and resources without confidence and reassurance from their teacher limits kids' true potential. being a teacher means helping kids' reach their dreams, and for me, i can't think of a better job.

What are your immediate goals for the beginning of the semester?
it's difficult to articulate my goals, but generally most of my goals center around my students who have IEP's and my male students of color. i want to grant one-on-one instruction and attention to these students as much as i am able. i tend to create goals that are very bullet-pointed and mathematical...like, i would like to have lesson plans developed and ready for the week by Sunday night, or i want to see five of my students pursue honors for my class. these are good goals and all, but i've been thinking more out-of-the-box, and for that reason i haven't completely wrapped my mind around all the goals i have for myself as a teacher and for my students in this, my first, class. so stay tuned...

What are you most afraid of? Most anxious of? Most nervous about?
i'm afraid i'm not going to know the curriculum. i'm nervous that i might not know answers to students' questions, especially answers i should know! classroom management freaks me out sometimes too...but as i learned last semester, i set the pace and tempo of the class. if i don't have my stuff together, managing the class is destined to become difficult very fast. i'm a little afraid of the workload, knowing that as the semester progresses work is going to pile up, and sometime in there i have two grad classes. i'm nervous that some days i might not find my "teacher voice," and then what? overall though, i'm way more excited than stressed, and my experiences from last semester have given me a lot of confidence for this semester!

Getting ready for Tuesday

There are a few questions that I'd like you to write about in preparation for Tuesday and your first class. Only answer the questions that you feel like, and write as little or as much as you please. This is intended to begin a dialog between us about your experiences, impressions, and thoughts so that in May or June you may reflect on these writings.

In preparation for Tuesday...

What do you think your role is going into this semester?
What does it mean to be a teacher and why are you interested in it?
Who are your students? What do you expect of them?
What are your immediate goals for the beginning of the semester?
What are you most afraid of? Most anxious of? Most nervous about?

These are big questions - more than I expect you to answer. But write whatever comes to mind. Hope this works!!