My last week at Kearsarge Elementary School was one filled with activities I was able to lead on my own. As the week progressed, I gained more trust than before with Mrs. Theroux and became more independent in the school. I did my first one-on-one guidance session alone, created and presented my first lesson plan on my own, administrated tests by myself, lead snack time and lunch time groups alone, taught the math discovery groups on my own, and took over, by myself, other teachers’ special education classes while they were in meetings. It was a very satisfying feeling to know that I was able to lead these activities and classes by myself as a high school student. One of the many qualities I have gained from senior project is confidence. I know I will be able to go into education in college and will soon be teaching my very own curriculum. I now know that I can do anything I set my mind to and that nothing can stop me from achieving my goals, not even a rough first class.
Today, I presented my lesson plan to Mrs. Theroux, and she thought it sounded good. I told her that I wanted to teach it to the class that I first taught alone, the class that gave me a hard time. I wanted to do this teaching to prove to myself that I would be able to handle difficult classes when I am older. Although I was unsure how successful I would be today, I wanted a challenge and marched to the classroom, determined to have a good lesson. I felt more prepared because I had spent the last week getting to know these students individually and gaining their trust and respect. I knew many of the students’ backgrounds so, if they were to act out, I was prepared to handle their individual needs in private. I felt more comfortable than previously at the head of the classroom and began my lesson by first getting everyone’s attention and asking if they were going to behave for me this time. They all said ‘yes,’ so I began.
My lesson was about friendship. Over the past three weeks I have seen students lose friendships with one another and gain friendships from people they never thought had a nice bone in their body. I handled many playground issues that all revolved around being a good friend and what the title ‘best friend’ entails. I thought that because I had many students asking me how to handle a friendship situation, I might make my own lesson plan, using some of the situations I had given as advice and observed in the classroom and at recess.
My lesson began with the friendship tip of the day. “A person who teases and causes hurt feelings does not look like a person who would make a good friend.” I asked the class for their opinions on this tip, and they shared a variety of stories about themselves or a friend who had to deal with bullying and teasing. I talked a little bit about how when we choose our friends, we should pick those who are nice to us and are helpful and kind. I talked about how, if someone is making poor choices and is not being very friendly, and if his or her behavior is constantly rude or discouraging, we should make new friends and stay away from that person who is making us feel unhappy. We can control ourselves and our behavior but can not always change or control other people’s behavior and actions. Part of being a good friend is always being nice and encouraging. Those people who are mean and discouraging usually do not have many friends.
The first activity I did with the group was a communication lesson. I picked partners from a hat and gave each partner pair an envelope with different colored shapes inside. They were told to find a space on the floor where they could sit back to back ‘criss cross apple sause’ (cross-legged), and have a small space in front of them to invent pictures using the shapes, like in the class we taught earlier this week. One student would make a picture using his or her shapes and then describe that picture to his or her partner. The partner had to create that design without being able to see what his or her partner intended. After a few minutes, one partner would reveal his or her design to his or her partner, and they could see how words can be interpreted differently and how hard it can be to communicate a message. The partners would then switch roles so that each of them had a chance to be the designer and initial communicator, as well as the person who was trying to create his or her partner’s image. After, I gathered them in the middle of the classroom, and we watched a demonstration of one set of partners who arrived late to class to do this activity. The kids loved this situation and found it to be harder than they had expected. After watching the demonstration pair, we asked how many couples were able to perfectly copy their partners’ image. Only one partnership raised their hands. I asked them to sit back in their seats as I wrapped up that activity by saying that it is hard to communicate and, sometimes when we tell each other different things, our words are received in different ways and not always interpreted the way we wanted them to be taken. It is very important to always communicate clearly to our friends, and if we don’t understand what our friends are trying to tell us, it is essential that we clarify a message.
The last activity I had the students do was the question game. I picked names from the hat once more and asked for volunteers. Two volunteers would come at a time and attempt to play. People play this game by only asking questions and cannot repeat a question right after each one. For example, person A may say “Did I see you walking your dogs in the park yesterday?,” then person B would respond, “Were the dogs black or white?” Person A would have to ask another question like, “Wasn’t that you who was jogging with your cousin John?” etc., and the second person respond with another question, until someone became stumped for too long, or said yes, no, or another statement instead of a question. Everyone in the class responded to this activity very well. The really intelligent students found it challenging, so they enjoyed participating. The other creative students in the class came up with some wonderful return questions. It was great, and everyone, who was not participating at one moment or another, paid terrific attention to those at the front of the class. Everyone was smiling, and I did not have anyone out of his or her seat or not intrigued by the activity. When I left the classroom everyone was still speaking in questions and begging me to continue to play. I made a short conclusion to my lesson plan, bringing everything together. I talked about how good friends are those who are nice, communicate well, and are not self-centered. The question game showed students how much fun it is to ask someone about himself, instead of always talking about their own selves. Multiple times this week I have watched students become bored talking to one another, because at this age all they talk about it themselves. The idea of my lesson was to point out how important it is to get to know your friends and to stop being so self-involved all the time.
The class could not have gone better. My messages about friendships were made clear, and the students had fun and were challenged. I am very happy I spent the past week gaining their trust and confidence in my abilities. I gathered my information for this lesson from my observations, group work, snack and lunch time meetings, and one-on-one sessions. Finishing my last day with this class was the perfect way to leave on a good note.
I met my long term goals today by using my past three weeks’ observations and activities. I taught my very own lesson plan successfully and learned how to become a good teacher. I have more confidence than ever in my abilities to teach and guide students. I know that I made a difference in many of the students’ lives and this was shown by their precious goodbyes and begging for me to stay longer. I even have a group of students who are desperate to come to my graduation to see me once more before I leave. Some students showed tears in their eyes, while others clung to my arms and hands. This action was very meaningful to me. I also met my last goal, which was to learn how to deal with the adults in the community, whether it was working with the other faculty members, or talking with the students’ parents. The faculty all congratulated me at the teachers meeting yesterday afternoon. They all thanked me for my help and said that I was much appreciated in the community. I also had a mother stop by today and thank me for all of my input. I am very pleased with everything that I have done and am glad to see that the children and adults recognized my hard work as well.
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