Friday, June 27, 2014

Demo Disappointment

Yesterday I presented my teaching demo to the rest of the teachers in our group.  I think everyone figured that since I am a "seasoned" teacher that it was a piece of cake for me.  They couldn't be further from the truth.  I was very nervous and I am not really sure why.  I actually prepared my presentation last weekend.  I gathered books, student notebooks, practiced in my car, and even ran to Kroger before class to buy a Dry Erase Marker to make sure I would have one that wrote clearly.  I bought a box of 96 crayons for the activity, only to drop it on the floor with crayons flying everywhere.  This should have been my first red flag.

Anyway, I am not saying it was a total failure.  I had a lot of good things included, but I just had too much.  It was overloaded.  I was trying to wear two hats:  one of a college instructor demonstrating how I worked with my student teachers and the other as a former teacher giving them ideas they could use in their own classroom.  As it turned out, what I thought was not that creative ( a simple mapping technique) was the foundation of the writing lesson.  I should have stopped there and let everyone write about their shoes.  Instead I went on and on and on....thus, overloading the presentation.

What did make me happy was how much some of the teachers really like my idea of having my Student teachers complete a Writing Notebook, which was really a multigenre piece by the time it was completed.  Plus, it was something they could have forever to use as a reference to things that had impressed them the most during my class.

Anyway, I had some great feedback from those I greatly respect.  Its just that I knew better and wish I had "overs" because being my worst critic, I wanted to end on a high note.
http://sixtraitgurus.wordpress.com/2011/10/22/how-hard-is-it-to-be-the-only-kid-who-cant-have-those-shoes/






2 comments:

Whitney Kelley said...

I think you're being way too hard on yourself. You introduced some great ideas, and my big take away was one that I can use for whatever grade level I teach next year: using the picture books to prompt ideas about social issues and social commentary. And seriously, what room full of ladies (okay, we had one gentleman), doesn't want to talk about shoes???

Your enthusiasm was contagious, and it is so very evident that you are passionate about what you do. I wouldn't give it another thought!

Jenny said...

I didn't get to see your demo, but the sentiment you describe has been a common trope these past weeks. Everyone says it's so nerve wracking to demo in front of teachers, even if a class full of petulant adolescents is a piece of cake. That said, I'm sure you rocked the house with your demo.

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