More about my Prac
I did this practicum at Fairfield Public School in Sydney's south-west. The most interesting thing about this prac was my cooperating teacher, no names thank you. Cooperating teacher is the teacher whose class I've been assigned to for practice teaching. Its a lovely 2nd grade class, mostly bright kids in a priority funding school, that has a high proportion of refugee and temporary resident holder students.
Anyways, back to my coop teacher. That woman is a fantastic teacher, but as a person, its a different question altogether. Miss social butterfly and the gossip queen of the school. I felt so uncomfortable about her habit of constantly talking about others: good and bad. She also loved talking about her boyfriend John. By the end of 1st week, I was terrified she's been telling tales about me behind my back. Especially because the 1st week was specially hard and I'd been getting a lot of criticisms from her about my teaching.
2nd week started off worse. My lesson planning and organisation was really bad and I was late to school one day because I missed the train. At this point she had two complaints about my teaching: organisation and class management. Organisation I could improve. But management was frustrating. She said I wasn't firm or strict enough with the children, I was afraid to discipline them and I was anxious to please them. I WAS NOT TRYING TO PLEASE THE CHILDREN! How can I be as good a disciplinarian as her when she's been teaching for 9 years! I was miffed, but agreed with her, as I should in my position. I sucked up to her a little bit saying that I'm happy you're being to honest and upfront with me. Give me as much criticisms as you want, as long as you give me a good report in the end. Well, I didn't exactly say those words. I implied it. By the end of 2nd week, my management and everything was picking up and she was a lot happier with me.
I made some major revelations during the 2nd week. A Coop teacher not just watches you teach and makes comments. She also has a duty to spend time with me, give me tips, introduce me to to other stuff members, generally making me feel included and involved. My teacher really neglected that. Every lunch and recess break she's rush off to the cafe to get her lunch. The school is on the edge of a shopping mall so teachers duck in and out of shops, cafes all the time. And that's were she'd head. I would have liked to go with her but I got the impression she didn't really want me to, even though she'd ask politely "can I get you anything?" Off course I declined. One day, she announced that she's gonna go for a walk at lunch-time because she didn't have enough exercise once she got home. She did leave far. So I asked is if I can go with her and so we can discuss the lesson I just taught. She hastily said, "No, no, no. Its ok. Your lesson was fine." Very suspicious!
Next day, I found out who she was going walking with John C, A stage 2 teacher. So, that's why she didn't want me to come walking! But I was stupid and clueless enough not to make the connection. Next day, I found out that her John is that John and now all her lunch-time rushing into the stage 2 block and cafe and walks made sense. I felt annoyed. Have your love-live, fine. But if you don't have time for me, maybe you shouldn't have taken on a prac student. Getting an easy pay while carrying on your romance. She'll get paid $200+ for having me practice in her class.
With a better understanding about her doings and my weaknesses, week 3 went much better. My management improved and wonder of wonders, she gave me an excellent report. I bought chocolates for her and the class and gave her 2 pairs of earrings I made. So, my prac went good overall, I guess. I think I learnt a very important lesson about reading people and telling them what they want to hear. Deception and pretention comes handy to a teacher coz teachers are the biggest two-faced creatures. That's another discovery I made in all my pracs. Sad, but true. Scares me to think I'll be going into an environment like that. I pray to Allah that I'll never be like them.
Anyways, back to my coop teacher. That woman is a fantastic teacher, but as a person, its a different question altogether. Miss social butterfly and the gossip queen of the school. I felt so uncomfortable about her habit of constantly talking about others: good and bad. She also loved talking about her boyfriend John. By the end of 1st week, I was terrified she's been telling tales about me behind my back. Especially because the 1st week was specially hard and I'd been getting a lot of criticisms from her about my teaching.
2nd week started off worse. My lesson planning and organisation was really bad and I was late to school one day because I missed the train. At this point she had two complaints about my teaching: organisation and class management. Organisation I could improve. But management was frustrating. She said I wasn't firm or strict enough with the children, I was afraid to discipline them and I was anxious to please them. I WAS NOT TRYING TO PLEASE THE CHILDREN! How can I be as good a disciplinarian as her when she's been teaching for 9 years! I was miffed, but agreed with her, as I should in my position. I sucked up to her a little bit saying that I'm happy you're being to honest and upfront with me. Give me as much criticisms as you want, as long as you give me a good report in the end. Well, I didn't exactly say those words. I implied it. By the end of 2nd week, my management and everything was picking up and she was a lot happier with me.
I made some major revelations during the 2nd week. A Coop teacher not just watches you teach and makes comments. She also has a duty to spend time with me, give me tips, introduce me to to other stuff members, generally making me feel included and involved. My teacher really neglected that. Every lunch and recess break she's rush off to the cafe to get her lunch. The school is on the edge of a shopping mall so teachers duck in and out of shops, cafes all the time. And that's were she'd head. I would have liked to go with her but I got the impression she didn't really want me to, even though she'd ask politely "can I get you anything?" Off course I declined. One day, she announced that she's gonna go for a walk at lunch-time because she didn't have enough exercise once she got home. She did leave far. So I asked is if I can go with her and so we can discuss the lesson I just taught. She hastily said, "No, no, no. Its ok. Your lesson was fine." Very suspicious!
Next day, I found out who she was going walking with John C, A stage 2 teacher. So, that's why she didn't want me to come walking! But I was stupid and clueless enough not to make the connection. Next day, I found out that her John is that John and now all her lunch-time rushing into the stage 2 block and cafe and walks made sense. I felt annoyed. Have your love-live, fine. But if you don't have time for me, maybe you shouldn't have taken on a prac student. Getting an easy pay while carrying on your romance. She'll get paid $200+ for having me practice in her class.
With a better understanding about her doings and my weaknesses, week 3 went much better. My management improved and wonder of wonders, she gave me an excellent report. I bought chocolates for her and the class and gave her 2 pairs of earrings I made. So, my prac went good overall, I guess. I think I learnt a very important lesson about reading people and telling them what they want to hear. Deception and pretention comes handy to a teacher coz teachers are the biggest two-faced creatures. That's another discovery I made in all my pracs. Sad, but true. Scares me to think I'll be going into an environment like that. I pray to Allah that I'll never be like them.
posted by »|m|u|n|i|r|a|« at 5/14/2005 09:45:00 pm
4 Comments:
Man, u make teaching sound harsh! I never saw it that way. I loved all my teachers! They were so kool. I even liked Mr. Tolhurst (Nabila - thats one teacher every1 knows because he holds a very bad stereotype towards Muslims). Tolhurst was funny coz when I was in his klass ami jed kore shob kichu tei first hoichilam and he was so hesitant to complement me, but he did (even to a yr 12 klass! I was in yr 10 then). So all my teachers were good alhamdulillah. I guess i dont know what they are like out of that context though. But its good that I dont. I dont wanna no em as anything or anyone else. Teachers will be teachers like boys will be boys, hehe.
Wassalam
Yeah, teachers have another face behind their students, as I'm coming to know. What subject did you do with Tolhurst anyway? He was quite a character! Not that I ever had him. But I remeber this incident. Once, I was upstairs for my period zero Economics class. He saw me and shouted
"What do you think you're doing upstairs. This area is out of bounds to juniors untill 9."
"I am a senior. I got a period zero class."
"Oh!{ said the shamefaced Mr Tolhurst and walked the other way.
I wonder if he thought I was Afifa or Zakia. *grin* Yeah, that's the only exchange I had with him.
Good on you for coming first in Tolhursts class. That showed him what Muslims can do!
I had I think it was "Asia Emerges" with Tolhurst. It was a yr 10 elective. The yr 12 klass he told about me was Afi apu's klass. I told her about what happened and how i came first in his klass and she told me "So it was you he was talking about in our klass!", hehe. I like Tolhurst. I find him humorous. He's just one of those ppl who u can laugh at even if he isnt funny, lol. everytime i saw him amar hashi ashto. And when u sed the story abt him thinking ur a junior, i could picture it, aro hasi ashe *rolling on floor with laughter*.
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