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TTC After a Loss
PinkCamino
member
Questions & Insight from ladies currently teaching
PinkCamino
member
Morning ladies!
I'm being sent out on a 3 month internship in January. The internship is in the youth sector (grades 7-11) so I'll be spending my time teaching history, geography and ethics 75% of the time and doing my grad research the other 25% of the time. My grad research focuses on notions and perceptions of bullying. Specifically, I'm looking at the gendered perceptions of the concept and exploring whether students and teachers/administrators are talking about the same thing and how those perceived differences may influence action oriented anti-bullying programs.
My question is this:
I have not been in a classroom in years. I taught math for a few years but then went back to school changed and career so I'm really out of touch with a classroom in the traditional sense. My program is very theoretical so we spend most of our time critically analyzing educational theory but very very little time on anything practical.
So, in anticipation of my internship (probably teaching 13 classes per week) what should I buy/prepare ahead of time? Clearly lesson planning is the major thing I need to do but I haven't confirmed a placement yet so I'm not sure what grade/subject I'm getting so that needs to wait.
My department told me to buy a whistle. That's it. Any other suggestions?
I'm being sent out on a 3 month internship in January. The internship is in the youth sector (grades 7-11) so I'll be spending my time teaching history, geography and ethics 75% of the time and doing my grad research the other 25% of the time. My grad research focuses on notions and perceptions of bullying. Specifically, I'm looking at the gendered perceptions of the concept and exploring whether students and teachers/administrators are talking about the same thing and how those perceived differences may influence action oriented anti-bullying programs.
My question is this:
I have not been in a classroom in years. I taught math for a few years but then went back to school changed and career so I'm really out of touch with a classroom in the traditional sense. My program is very theoretical so we spend most of our time critically analyzing educational theory but very very little time on anything practical.
So, in anticipation of my internship (probably teaching 13 classes per week) what should I buy/prepare ahead of time? Clearly lesson planning is the major thing I need to do but I haven't confirmed a placement yet so I'm not sure what grade/subject I'm getting so that needs to wait.
My department told me to buy a whistle. That's it. Any other suggestions?
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Questions & Insight from ladies currently teaching
What you will need to buy really depends on a lot of factors. I have worked in a few schools and each one is so different. So, really I have more questions for you to have on it. I was a teacher for 6 years and for the past 5 I have been in schools in a different kind of instuctional position.
-Do you know what the school will provide for you? Some schools provide paper (for copies), paper clips, file folders, stapler, pens/pencils, bulletin board paper, tape, etc on office supplies.
-Do you want to have special projects? I have never worked in a school that provided construction paper, colored pencils, kid scissors, markers, crayons, etc. Even my tenth grade students enjoyed creative projects.
-Do you know what the school will have for technology? This is a thought for lesson plans. Will you have a projector, Smartboard, or anything else to show lessons? Will the students have individual computers, class set, or just a few in the room? This can impact any projects or assignments you will have.
-Do you know the demographics of the student population? I have worked in several schools that have a high population of students on free or reduced lunch. This means more thought on bringing student supplies to class: pens/pencils, paper, notebooks, binders, folders, etc.
-How long are your classes going to be? It is very different to teach for a 50 min versus 90 minute session. Even in 50 min classes, students need a variety of lessons. This will be important when thinking about lesson planning and having a few activities each day. I am sure your classes (and you can think back to your previous experience) about having a similar structure each day. This just makes me think of possibly buying a timer. I used one. There are also websites like teachtimer that you can project if that is possible.
-How are you going to collect data for your research? My suggestion would be a clipboard to have your paper on. I like this because you will have a lot of papers around/on your desk. A clipboard can stand out to your eye so you will not loose track of it.
I think that is a start from me. Can I log this in my teacher mentoring log now? Hehe.
And, there is a punk song to think about here. "Teenagers scare the living shit out of me. They think it is funny to watch somebody bleed."
Me: 31 DH: 36
Dated Since ‘02, Married in ‘06
BFP#1 05/16/06, EDD01/16/07, MC 06/12/06 at 8 weeks
BFP #2 08/14/14, EDD 04/22/15, MC 09/17/14 at 9 weeks
My Chart
Part of the issue is that I can't answer any of those questions yet.
As far as I understand, we may find out the day before. So, technically, I might find out January 5th that I'm being placed at XYZ school on January 6th. The lack of organization from my university is pretty discouraging.
So I don't know the grade, I don't know the demographics, I don't even know the subject area yet. I've been told that I'll be placed in social science but that can include philosophy, history, ethics, geography and even drama.
My research is actually multi-modal. So, my students will be given opportunities to share their experiences with me outside your standard interview/questionnaire. The goal was to place me in an "ethics" class so my research could unfold in a more natural setting with the discussion of bullying being one of our units. But, there is no guarantee so I'm preparing to do my research in collaboration with other staff at the school I'm at. The idea is a creative approach to the discussion of experiences with bullying. It's far more complicated than that but it would take me a few hours to explain it all - I'm sure you get the point
Thanks for your suggestions though!
Sounds like any typical educational process. The first few days you will be flying by the seat of your pants. Be as prepared as you can for day 1. I agree with @readinglove and say that the first day can be planned around 'getting to know you' activities that can work with any course you are in. That week you will be so busy figuring out what you can get on campus and what you need to buy. It will be a whirlwind at first, but you will settle in.
Me: 31 DH: 36
Dated Since ‘02, Married in ‘06
BFP#1 05/16/06, EDD01/16/07, MC 06/12/06 at 8 weeks
BFP #2 08/14/14, EDD 04/22/15, MC 09/17/14 at 9 weeks
My Chart
!*All Welcome**!
Me 28 The Tower Climber 27
NTNP Since January 2014
BFP #1- Nov 10, 2014 EDD July 19, 2015 MC Nov 20, 2014 (5wk 4d)
I would prepare the getting to know type of activities for the first couple days and then it'll give you an idea of what you'll be doing for the remainder of the time.
I would get an organizer to help you stay together- mine literally has all of my important info in there and I can plan out what I'm going to do when. I also color coded my classes so colored pens were a must! The east you can get when you know what the school provides, etc. if you need anything I'm just a pm away. I worked in middle school for a while but now I'm in preschool.
Good luck! Your project sounds super interesting!