Learning to Teach

As people, we are learning constantly. Whether it is a new recipe or a word you've never seen before, our minds are ever expanding. Sometimes being open to learning and changing can leave us in our most vulnerable state. Being in these classrooms can leave me vulnerable. The pressure of trying to make a lasting impact in under an hour per lesson can leave me making a myriad of mistakes. My first lesson was an identification activity. In this lesson we went over the classification of materials that we come in contact with every day and how to properly dispose of them. Throughout this lesson we talked about the differences between biodegradable vs non-biodegradable, compostable vs non-compostable, and reusable vs recyclable. Most items can fit into these categories and do not need to be thoughtlessly thrown away. For most of my lessons I get teach them twice, once at each school. The first time I went through this activity, I underestimated the time it would take. Lack of efficient management and trying to meticulously engage the students in each concept left me feeling rushed and ineffective. Time management was something that I needed to work on. On the other hand, by teaching I was simultaneously learning. Thankfully I had another opportunity to complete this lesson at the other school. The night before I planned out exactly how I would execute my lesson rather than just diving in head first that next morning. With the experience of my first try and the refinement of my method, my lesson went extremely well! It took almost 30 minutes less than my first trial showing how effective planning ahead can be. Time efficiency is crucial, especially in a classroom where you have limited time to expose students to certain topics. Having the opportunity to be able to try again leaves me with the hope of getting better and leaves me feeling so grateful to all the teachers I've had in the past. Lesson planning and executing those plans effectively are amazing skills that come with time and patience. Skills that can be accomplished by anyone.