Well, another day is over. I'm still getting used to waking up in the dark and being at school by 8:00am, but it's totally worth it!
As promised, I'll be focusing on two aspects of my day, instead of a full re-cap: Student Behavior and Student-Teacher Relationships. Today I went to different classes with different teachers. I went to a Creative Writing class - which comprised of grade 10, 11, and 12 students, SS 10AP, SS 11, Eng 12, and Economics 12. It was interesting to see the different relationships that each student had with the teacher and the accompanying student behavior. Does that even make sense? Basically, the student-teacher relationship dictated how the students behaved.
For example: the young man teaching Creative Writing was viewed as a "friend." The students treated him like a friend instead of an authority figure. I found there were both pros and cons to this teaching-style/approach. Pros: the students were very open and felt like they could talk about anything; they were interactive, talkative, and relaxed; they were comfortable and at ease. Cons: while there was respect between student and teacher, it was a lot more difficult for him to get their attention, be quiet, and listen/follow directions. He was constantly having to "shhh" the class and repeat instructions. There was a lot of class-management going on instead of actual teaching.
All of the other classes were taught by teachers who had far more experience than the young Creative Writing teacher. It was evident that they demanded respect and attention. The relationship between these teachers and students wasn't as "friendly" but more, for a lack of a better word - mature.
I had originally thought that I wanted to be a "friend" teacher; but after watching the Creative Writing class I think it's super important to maintain a "friendly" relationship while having enough authority and discipline to create a happy medium between friend and professional.
Until next time,
LC
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