Learning to Adapt

I'm finding my experience as an observer surprisingly fun and interesting.  I've seen some pretty funny stuff when the kids don't think I'm watching and the view from behind let's me see the lesson from the students' perspective which really helps me remember what it's like being a kid in grade 5!  The one thing that has made me worried is dealing with the adults! It's so strange being a part of the infamous staff room...I feel like I'm sneaking in illegally but so far everyone seems really nice, if not curious.

Before I started practicum I honestly thought (maybe naively so) that I didn't really have anything defined in terms of my own teaching philosophy...but after two days I've already seen how differently I would handle certain situations.

I don't agree with everything I've heard or seen from staff , but at the same time they have much wisdom and experience to offer and they care deeply for their students.  With that in mind, I'm trying to observe in the most objective way possible and take away whatever lessons I can without judging them.  A lot of thought goes into teaching and having conversations with these teachers after has shown me that there is a purpose to everything being done.I'm trying to remind myself to look for that purpose especially in situations where I just don't get it.

Other than that I'm loving the kids!  They still seem like grade fours but they're all very sweet with real flare and creativity.  Things that seem simple (e.g. move the math manipulatives to the other table) have new possibilities with these kids (e.g. taking your shoe off to hold all the pieces and use that to move it to the other table).  I'm looking forward to getting to know them a little better over the month.

In the meantime I need to get some serious shut eye!

Happy Teaching!