Kempf, Aaron
Fieldwork 411
Blog Post 2
Expectations for Teaching in Fieldwork 411
Tomorrow marks the first day that my partner Casey Marchant and I will be traveling to our local Lexington high school to begin our interaction with 17-18-year-old English students. Being a student of English myself (college level), it is reasonable to understand that while excited, there are some aspects of this challenge that have crossed my mind. Atop this list of questions I have is whether or not students only 3-4 years younger than myself will treat me with respect as I try to stimulate their learning experiences. As seen in the video showed within class, in order for students to be engaged and interested in subject material, they first need to become comfortable about speaking and establishing a healthy relationship with their teacher. While I have every intention of treating students with respect and dignity, seeing them only 5 times through the semester adds pressure that every experience I have with them, I need to bring my A game. One bad day or slip up (such as not looking engaged if a student takes the time to ask me a question) can alter how the students view me for the rest of the semester. Within project-based teaching, I was able to learn the importance of reading student’s emotions as individuals rather than as a whole. For example, we learned that Alfredo had trouble being comfortable in the classroom because of negative home experiences. Personally, I want to be able to learn what makes each student engaged and if they aren’t engaged, I want to learn what role I can play to better equip them for learning. As talked about with Ms. Elise, students in public schools are often pushed through their 4 years of school and viewed as a statistic. Any role I can play in making a student feel like a star in their own right is a win in my book. I look forward to developing these ideas and getting to know the students of the Lexington community! blog post 2
I appreciate the vulnerability you show in this post. I can only imagine how nervous you must be for your visit. I think you’ll do fine. I also appreciate how you talk about the pressure of making students comfortable with you when you only have 5 visits with them. Good job using some examples form the book and video and then backing them up with your own thoughts and ideas. I can’t wait to hear how your visit went.
Considering that high school students aren’t far out from us makes you rethink your approach. I also remember back in high school, only the students that cared about their grades had real interaction in class. It will be interesting to see how you will motivate students close to you in age and inspire a lack of inspiration.
Aaron,
Like any performance, having adrenaline for the classroom is a good thing, actually, and as long as you breathe, and don’t take yourself too seriously, all will go fine. The point of these observational visits is to get a better sense of the teaching and learning climate–was there anything in your reading from the chapter on Building a Culture that supported the ways that Alfredo and Hannah helped their teacher to recognize what was at stake, and what to focus on for high-impact learning? You will see real balancing acts in classrooms these days as teachers try to reach as many different learners as possible.
I hope you enjoy your visit.
MAJ Hodde