Well I am half way through my first week of school! Monday I just met my teacher and class for a second. I also had a chance to meet my principal who seemed very nice and I really liked that his teaching philosophies matched mine. Tuesday was my first real day to observe. I was very surprised to say the least. It sure is different out here. The whole time my teacher was literally screaming at the kids all day. I mean it made me nervous. However, today I felt a little better as I started coming to the realization that it is part of their culture and they sometimes need it. These kids don't usually get a lot of help at home and there isn't many social skills taught in the home either. Therefore there is a lot more emphasis on social skills in school than in Utah. It is a pretty tough situation. I feel like my class of 14 is at least 30.
In my experience in Utah schools there have always been the 1 or 2 really hard kids that require a lot of attention and test your patience, but here it is like 12 kids are like that and 2 can sit sill for more than 30 seconds. It makes it difficult to manage, thus difficult to teach. In Utah you can get the rest of the class on task and then focus on those who need extra guidance and further direction. But when all of your kids are that way it is impossible to give them that extra help. However, I am hopeful that I can make things a little better and I will try my best! My views on management are already beginning to change. Tough situations like this help you understand why teaching can be so difficult and why the teachers here resort to so much yelling, but I hope to implement some preventative strategies with a lot of positive reinforcement, because they are all craving attention.
I taught a small group today and it felt very out of control, but my mentor teacher said she was impressed and reassured me that I seemed to have better management then her last student teacher. Baby steps! Despite the hardships I already foresee ahead I am very excited and ready to make a difference where I can. Also, these kids are absolutely adorable!
I love you all! Thanks for your comments and phone calls! Mail to fun too! :)
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4 comments:
You're a trooper! It must be so hard to come mid-year into such a situation. I'm sure your positive reinforcement methods will bring some peace to the chaos. When you have your own class that you manage from the beginning, you and the students will be brilliant! We miss you already, but are so very proud! Love, Marcie
Miss Collett, I wish you were my teacher! :) You're awesome and I love you!
Jess is that blond girl who is married named leisul?
Yea! How do you know her???
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