Welcome back to the blog ladies and gentlemen! Or should I say, lady and gentleman (since I think only 2 people read this these days).
Christmas and New Year's have past, but the memories from my first placement remain. Thankfully, nearly all of my memories of placement were good! I was fortunate to have an associate teacher who know her stuff (and who liked me - what an awkward time next semester would be if she didn't) and students that I've built good connections with.
I think something that I really took from my experience in two weeks is that students care to try for a teacher who cares for them.
I've known that this applies to other settings for years; leading programs at summer camps, tutoring students, etc., have taught me that people will automatically work harder if they see you're working hard. However, to date these were all programs which students voluntarily entered, so I wondered if the rules would apply to an involuntary program.
They did! Turns out students - just like anyone else in life - enjoy working with people who genuinely care about their wellbeing. I think that this is a strength of mine, and I was pleased to see that the students in the class I taught were able to see that I cared about them and also that I cared about the information I was teaching them.
The connections to students, to me, are the most important thing that come from the high school experience. I like math and I like teaching math and I see value in math, but even the most scientific of brains can understand the importance of connection to other people.
In other news, I flew to Quebec City for the day to propose to my girlfriend. It went well. Here we are:
(I didn't take pictures with my students to "maintain professionalism in the workplace)
I miss my students, but I will meet more students next semester and the cycle will begin again.
Until next time,
- KJ
Christmas and New Year's have past, but the memories from my first placement remain. Thankfully, nearly all of my memories of placement were good! I was fortunate to have an associate teacher who know her stuff (and who liked me - what an awkward time next semester would be if she didn't) and students that I've built good connections with.
I think something that I really took from my experience in two weeks is that students care to try for a teacher who cares for them.
I've known that this applies to other settings for years; leading programs at summer camps, tutoring students, etc., have taught me that people will automatically work harder if they see you're working hard. However, to date these were all programs which students voluntarily entered, so I wondered if the rules would apply to an involuntary program.
They did! Turns out students - just like anyone else in life - enjoy working with people who genuinely care about their wellbeing. I think that this is a strength of mine, and I was pleased to see that the students in the class I taught were able to see that I cared about them and also that I cared about the information I was teaching them.
The connections to students, to me, are the most important thing that come from the high school experience. I like math and I like teaching math and I see value in math, but even the most scientific of brains can understand the importance of connection to other people.
In other news, I flew to Quebec City for the day to propose to my girlfriend. It went well. Here we are:
(I didn't take pictures with my students to "maintain professionalism in the workplace)
I miss my students, but I will meet more students next semester and the cycle will begin again.
Until next time,
- KJ
Congratulations on a great placement and some new life adventures too!!!
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