What crazy, interesting, confusing, strange, amazing experiences do I have on a weekly basis? Maybe my students made some off-the-wall comment. Some other time, I might have a story about a wonderful teaching moment. There may be some weeks that I reflect on my strengths/weaknesses as a teacher and others where I need advice. I'm dealing with the experience a day at a time.
I cried today. How about that? I still can't quite decide why. Was it because I was frustrated? Was it because I felt guilty? Or was it maybe because I felt like a failure? I guess it could be a combination of all three.
Here's how it went... We're studying equations. I gave a pop quiz yesterday and I was so impressed with their performance. The class averages were all in the high 90s. What's not to love about that? So I was sure that two-step equations would be a breeze. It's just two one-steps right? Well, we learned two-steps one day and did more practiced more today. My flop almost happened at the beginning of the day. The students were chatty and veering off task. With the help of my mentor (I don't know what I would do without her sometimes), we adjusted the lesson and I felt much more comfortable with its success.
The problem comes in with the homework. We picked out all our homework assignments last week and made copies. For some reason, the three of us chose a sheet without really checking all the problems out. Not even thinking, I assigned the worksheet at the end of class and didn't go over it. A two-step equation is a two-step equation, isn't it? If they can do the problems in class, why couldn't they do a similar worksheet?
The worksheet was not similar ENOUGH. Without going into hairy math details, let's just say there are problems on the worksheet unlike any examples we did in class. I had a room full of students for homework help in AA (which is awesome!). But all of them needed my attention. I felt bombarded and overwhelmed. By the end of the time, I was frustrated AND guilty. I realized that the worksheet not only had unfamiliar equations on it, it also has A LOT of problems. They just kept saying "I don't get this."
I at least refrained until the room was empty. I sat at a student group and cried. Not boo hoo cry but there were tears in my eyes and I struggled to really talk. I think I just felt bad. I hate seeing my students struggle and get stressed because of my poor planning. I also hate the fact that they might spend hours tonight attempting their assignment with no one to help them.
Thank the lord for my mentor. She calmed my fears and reassured me that its a learning experience. Tomorrow we can explain to the students what happened and just offer extra time for practice. It was not as awful as I made it. It never hurts students to be a bit challenged. Tomorrow is a new day. I will apologize, admit my mistakes, and promise the students more opportunities to be successful in solving two-step equations.
I love teaching and nothing is going to change that. That's a positive, I believe :)
I cried today. How about that? I still can't quite decide why. Was it because I was frustrated? Was it because I felt guilty? Or was it maybe because I felt like a failure? I guess it could be a combination of all three.
ReplyDeleteHere's how it went...
We're studying equations. I gave a pop quiz yesterday and I was so impressed with their performance. The class averages were all in the high 90s. What's not to love about that? So I was sure that two-step equations would be a breeze. It's just two one-steps right? Well, we learned two-steps one day and did more practiced more today. My flop almost happened at the beginning of the day. The students were chatty and veering off task. With the help of my mentor (I don't know what I would do without her sometimes), we adjusted the lesson and I felt much more comfortable with its success.
The problem comes in with the homework. We picked out all our homework assignments last week and made copies. For some reason, the three of us chose a sheet without really checking all the problems out. Not even thinking, I assigned the worksheet at the end of class and didn't go over it. A two-step equation is a two-step equation, isn't it? If they can do the problems in class, why couldn't they do a similar worksheet?
The worksheet was not similar ENOUGH. Without going into hairy math details, let's just say there are problems on the worksheet unlike any examples we did in class. I had a room full of students for homework help in AA (which is awesome!). But all of them needed my attention. I felt bombarded and overwhelmed. By the end of the time, I was frustrated AND guilty. I realized that the worksheet not only had unfamiliar equations on it, it also has A LOT of problems. They just kept saying "I don't get this."
I at least refrained until the room was empty. I sat at a student group and cried. Not boo hoo cry but there were tears in my eyes and I struggled to really talk. I think I just felt bad. I hate seeing my students struggle and get stressed because of my poor planning. I also hate the fact that they might spend hours tonight attempting their assignment with no one to help them.
Thank the lord for my mentor. She calmed my fears and reassured me that its a learning experience. Tomorrow we can explain to the students what happened and just offer extra time for practice. It was not as awful as I made it. It never hurts students to be a bit challenged. Tomorrow is a new day. I will apologize, admit my mistakes, and promise the students more opportunities to be successful in solving two-step equations.
I love teaching and nothing is going to change that. That's a positive, I believe :)