Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Service Blog #8

This was out last week of service, and before we left to go to the service site we were handed a box of candy canes. I had no idea how big of impact those candy canes would have on my day. I thought that the candy canes would be used at the end of the class as a way of saying goodbye. I wanted to accomplish something in the last day, however the people that are in the class room with me, the teacher, and as a result the students had other ideas. As soon as we walked into the classroom my co-teachers started to handout candy canes, assisted by the teacher.  I think one of the toughest tasks a teacher can have is to try to settle down a class of 5th graders after giving them candy canes. We tried to then review what we have learned with each other, it did not work. Instead of trying to work through the student’s energy my co-teachers decided to just play games. I will not be returning to this service site next semester. 

Service Blog #7

This week was the last service project before Thanksgiving Break, and I found it extremely frustrating. I really dislike the idea that the service meets only once a week, I feel like nothing is accomplished. The only thing that is accomplished is the basic terms, and those terms are drilled into the students. Nothing deeper is ever accomplished. I know that this is only a service project, that we are only there one day a week to teach things that the students, at least in the school’s eyes, the students don’t need to know. I feel like we are there sometimes just to give the teachers a break, at it frustrates me. I take the tasks seriously, I’m not just there to make the students laugh, as much as I would like to, but to teach them something. That task is not being accomplished right now. 

Service Blog Cont.

This week was a first for me at my service. This was the first week that I could not connect to the students that I was teaching. I thought that I had made my lesson plan so that it would actively engage the students, but that was not the case. I’m sure that in my future career as a teacher I will eventually fail at more lesson plans, but I can honestly say that I hated every minute of the class. I was met with nothing but blank looks, and the occasional glance by the teacher. I felt that I was on an island and my boat, the lesson plan, was in pieces all around me. I will take steps to make sure that this doesn’t happen in the future.