This week it was an interesting teaching week. There were a few lessons where I thought they were mediocre, but other teachers told me I actually did a good job. What seemed to be good about my lessons weren’t necessarily what I perceived the students were getting out of my lesson, but more so how I handled individual situations as a teacher and trying new things in my lessons. It was encouraging that veteran teachers were asking me where I was getting some of my resources and collaborating ideas with me. One example was when my PE 10 class did their fitness unit this week. I printed out some pre-made superhero inspired workout routines that I found online and I had two different teachers ask me where I got the routines from.
The UBC courses taught us to listen to our SAs advice and take their ideas, but it was interesting to see that a lot of the teachers look to us student teachers for new/fresh ideas, resources, and an inside on what new teacher candidates are learning that’s different or the same as when they went through the program.
Glad to hear that you had a good week! When I read your entry I couldn’t help but think about the value of collaboration. Yes, it wonderful to get some positive feedback from veteran teacher. Yes, it is a positive experience to have them ask you for your resources and you should take pride in this. And I don’t want to minimize these points. For me, the big idea with the most potential for your future growth is to see the value of not only sharing but collaborating with other educators. Often this collaborative process, which can occur formally or informally, provides us with the best professional development. The sharing of ideas whether they be about resources, lesson design, curriculum, instruction, assessment or the needs of a commonly share student or group of students is a powerful vehicle for professional growth. Embrace this as you move forward.