Today I presented a brief lesson on the history of comics and manga.  My FA came to observe me but I wasn’t nervous.  I just did my best to ignore the fact that she was there and continued on teaching.

My two blocks today consisted of teaching the same course material.  I guess you can see it as a chance to improve my delivery the second time around. The beginning was a lecture and the second half of the class consisted of group work.  The lecture went a bit faster than I thought it would (mostly because it was not a question and answer discussion) but more a presentation on information.  The first class was very excited about the comic examples I was showing while the second class had difficulty engaging.  There were those that did engage but one particular group of friends lacked the attention and focus I needed.

Today was a sick day for my SA so the TOC came in to help with covering the photography class and the studio classes which I taught.  It proved to be a pretty easy day for him.  He got to observe my teaching and said I did a good job with the flow of the class.

For some reason, I felt anxious from the beginning to the start.  I wasn’t nervous and shaky…just stressed.  I felt stressed about the idea of continuing on with what seemed to be mundane lectures that should be saved for a social studies or guidance class.  I believed in my ideas and the need for discussion, student engagement, and critical thinking.  I did not want the blank look on students’ faces to make me think otherwise.  Art education IS important in learning about all facets of life on top of the field of art studies itself.  My experience with the process of art making has proven to be fundamental in my development as an artist and as an educator.  I began to feel worried that my students weren’t going to enjoy my lessons.  I worry that I will have to be too stringent when the students refuse to pay attention or stay motivated.  I worry how I will mark them for participation and effort.  There are many concerns because I want to be a good teacher that educates.

I feel that there are many obstacles to overcome.  The beginning of each unit will be full of front-loading information.  The middle to the end of the project will be their own time to explore their own ideas.  I don’t want to be the mean teacher but I also want to be stern.  This is something I will need to learn.  As a student teacher, I feel that gaining their trust in me will be difficult.  I step in as a stranger and give them assignments that they must complete and that will also affect their grade.  It’s a strange situation to be in, especially with my goals for an art classroom.  I don’t feel comfortable in commanding the students around because I don’t yet know them.  In my mind I wish I could, but I am afraid they will think “well who’s she to tell us what to do?”  Perhaps I need to let go of these fears and act as if the class IS my own.  In any case, I want my students to learn about life and art.  I hope that by the end of my practicum, they would come away feeling like I’ve made a positive impact in their life.