For my Community Field Experience, I was given the opportunity to work at three different elementary schools within the Vancouver School District. During this extended practicum, I taught the basics of Art to students ranging from Grades 2-7. I incorporated visual learning with verbal instructions to ensure comprehension and engagement in the lessons. Activities included creating short lesson plans and teaching skills such as shading, sketching, painting, watercolor, and line drawings. Time in this atmosphere brought about some unique challenges that I was not quite prepared for. These included a relaxed schedule and loose framework as set forth by our sponsors. Although this allowed me to be creative during the three weeks it left me a little uneasy because of the inerrant nature of the program. I would say that this “not knowing” allowed me to be flexible in a way that I had not taught before. Prior to this experience, I was always prepared for my lessons weeks in advance of my lessons. However this experience forced me to think on the fly, only a day beforehand, to create my lessons based on student feedback about the course.
In closing, I no longer know if absolute preparation is vital to teaching. In other words, spontaneous inspiration for lesson plans, methods, and subject matter, can often grow organically from the lessons themselves, and the students who are receiving the instruction. Therefore, I think it is important for all educators to leave some “wiggle” room in their lesson plans to enhance the final product, and adapt as needed. This “not knowing” is important, not only for young teachers like ourselves, but is a practice that seasoned teachers should work into their teaching styles. Spontaneity can often lead to teaching magic!