Class last week was really interesting all around. I so much preferred the observation method we used last week as opposed to the I-Walk method. Though I think the I-Walk has its merits (you can get more observations done in a shorter period of time, it's good for observing classroom layouts, teacher to student ratios, and so on) I think last week's protocol gave us an opportunity to really, really see how teachers interacted with their students. As someone who likes to take my time with things and think about them, this method was very conducive to my own preferred methods. Of course, even though staying in a classroom for so long gave us a better opportunity to observe a teacher's style and how the students reacted to it and how the teacher reacted to the students, even still I found myself wishing I could stay and watch the classes for longer. It is nice to see a variety but sometimes I think we're going too fast to ever really see what's going on, to mull over what we saw, and then find a way to integrate what we learned into our teaching schema.
After the observations we got the chance to hear from parents what they look for in a teacher. I think this was so important to hear because nearly always parents will not have a say in who teaches their child and so I think it is crucial that we always try to be the best teacher a parent or child could hope for. And, like with the student panel, what the parents are hoping for is almost logical and really so easy: to be available. I think this sums up what the parents said because they all agreed that they think a teacher should make their personality available and, most importantly, be available and willing to communicate to a parent how their child is doing. Phone calls were brought up over and over again, requests that teacher's not only tell a parent when their child is struggling (though if this is the case they want to know as soon as you know) but also when their child is doing well. Because kids spend a minimum of six hours at school a day, not including the time it takes to get to and from school or any after-school activities, it might be inevitable that teachers see more of their student than the parents do. They are trusting you to take care of their child as well as they would and that you care about them, as well.
Megh, I felt the same way when doing the I-Walk. Even though we spent more time in a single classroom then we ever have before, I still felt that it went by very quickly. I think the fact that we are enjoying spending so much time in the classroom definitely tells us that we have chosen the right major. I liked how this time we were able to focus on either two students or a single student and the teacher, because it allowed us to observe more critically what was being taught and whether or not learning was occurring. I'm looking forward to doing this again next week.
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