Planning Worries

Planning Worries

There are certain things that bug me a bit about my two CTs. I know that they are professionals and teaching, planning, and management comes more easily to them now that they are advanced in their profession. I am having trouble with the way they plan lessons, and I guess it’s more that they are so different from each other. One of my CTs goes by the pacing guide, and follows a strict schedule, so I find it so much easier to plan for her. I know what she is expecting to teach, and around the time she expects to teach it. My other CT has a very flexible curriculum, and tells me that as long as we cover the essential points on the pacing guide, we will be fine. She gives me a date to teach, and I have to really work hard to get her to tell me what she thinks she wants me to teach over. I guess, in a sense, I like the flexibility and freedom that she gives me, but I get very anxious and stressed out when I don’t have a schedule or plan to follow.       

            I need to be able to figure out how to plan for both, and to be able to succeed with those plans. Should I use a pacing guide to plan for my CT who gives me free range on the lessons that I make, even though she’s kind of all over the place? Or should I just piggy-back off of whatever she is doing or planning to do during that week?What I've been doing is asking her what she absolutely needs to cover during that week, and I share with her some lesson ideas, and if she is happy with them then, I teach. This seems to work well, but i guess is just want a bit more structure. 

            On a positive note, I have thought a lesson for my "least flexible" CT, and received very positive feedback from her. She is giving me the responsibility of coming up with bellwork for students, and for starting off the class, which is sort of nerve wracking, but definitely a growing experience.

Learning Lots

So far, I’ve been blessed with amazing CTs at my placement. They both are so willing to let me teach, and participate in their class. I have a wonderful science class made up of all seventh grade students, most of who are AVID students. They care so much about getting things done right, and completing their work on time. This class has virtually no behavior problems. All of the students here are very respectful, they participate, and they follow instructions. I must admit that I am a bit worried about having such a great class to begin with, because I will not get as many opportunities to practice good classroom management skills.

            I know, however, that I will need to be stern and use these skills in my Language Arts Class. I have three students who have an IEP, one of which is for behavior. What I am most worried about for this class is that I will get to know the “trouble makers” much better than the well behaved students. I usually work closely with these kids during the week, and I know a lot about their learning styles and personalities. I couldn’t tell you hardly anything about the other students in that class, because my time with them is not as much.

            In my placement I also have the wonderful opportunity to attend Team, Professional Development, and Collaboration meetings with my CT, which has been very beneficial for me. Not only do I know what to expect during these meetings, but I’m learning many critical thinking skills for both me and my students, I now am aware of just how organized teachers have to be, their different roles within the school, how they work together, what they do when they disagree, etc. I’m excited to see the many other things I will get the privilege to learn during this time, and I am also looking forward to building fundamental relationships with the teachers on my team as well as the principals in the building—who often times attend the professional development meetings.