tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956989639073843954.post1646217484743023098..comments2024-03-21T05:30:03.220-04:00Comments on Science teacher: What I know now....doylehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12901661320505882735noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956989639073843954.post-27012765900231133652008-11-23T07:30:00.000-05:002008-11-23T07:30:00.000-05:00@TheKlepto,First year can be (will be) very hard, ...@TheKlepto,<BR/>First year can be (will be) very hard, perhaps as hard as anything your friend will do, and 8th graders tend to act like they're 13 years old.<BR/><BR/>If they are truly heathens, though, they may be a bit more receptive to science than some pockets of our culture. (I love the word "heathen"--sounds like an agnostic pagan.)<BR/><BR/>@Kerry,<BR/>Coming from the outside in has its advantages--I'm glad the words helped.<BR/> <BR/>I was blessed with a phenomenal cooperating teacher and a strongly supportive supervisor. Working with Sean must be the bee's knees!<BR/><BR/>A caveat, though, and this is going to sound like it's contrary to "goal directed exhaustion." You are working with someone who takes his profession seriously, someone with high standards. <BR/><BR/>Know that the standards worth reaching in teaching (or professional learning) cannot be met in the first year. If they could, this would just be another job, not a profession. Exhaustion combined with unreasonable personal expectations can kill beginning teachers. So allow yourself sleep, and trust yourself enough to make mistakes. <BR/><BR/>Student teaching is hard enough when you're 22 years old; for those of us with a couple more decades behind us, it might just be a tad harder in the physical sense. (There are advantages to being older, too--life outside school gives you a different perspective.) <BR/><BR/>One reason my CT was so wonderful was that she'd explain why something I wanted to try might not work, but would let me try it anyway without getting in the way. When it didn't work, she didn't rub it in, just let the results speak for themselves. I learned how to learn in the classroom.<BR/><BR/>@Joel,<BR/>Thanks for the words.<BR/><BR/>Yep, 40 hours is not going to do it, at least not in this stage of teaching, and I suspect I'll never be a 40-hour-week candidate.<BR/><BR/>The rewards are worth it, but a lot of the rewards will never be seen by you (though they will be seen by many others). <BR/><BR/>I agree it's easier to remember than others. I think that the invisibility of our rewards is a large reason why so many quit the field. If you're in it for the summer vacations alone, you're not going to be happy. There are, alas, a lot of unhappy teachers.doylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12901661320505882735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956989639073843954.post-25109981400437442972008-11-22T23:02:00.000-05:002008-11-22T23:02:00.000-05:00Nice post. This is definitely NOT a 40-hour-a-wee...Nice post. This is definitely NOT a 40-hour-a-week job, but the rewards are worth it. Some days I believe that more than others :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956989639073843954.post-72759727179799539852008-11-22T22:34:00.000-05:002008-11-22T22:34:00.000-05:00Wow -- I needed to read this post today. I'm a fir...Wow -- I needed to read this post today. I'm a first-year Language Arts teacher going the alternate certification route (after a 20-year career in public relations). Lucky for me Sean N. is my instructional coach and I have two awesome co-principals. I thought when I started all this I was becoming a "teacher," instead I'm becoming a professional learner. I learn every day from my administration, peers and most importantly, my students. <BR/>Your post was refreshing for its honesty and its ability to reassure those of us who are on the uphill side of what appears to be a never ending learning curve.<BR/>Thanks.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18418952396433440327noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956989639073843954.post-38832995223098971502008-11-22T21:39:00.000-05:002008-11-22T21:39:00.000-05:00I have a close friend who just began her teaching ...I have a close friend who just began her teaching career. She teaches 8th grade science to (by what she describes) little heathens. I will pass your post (and blog) along to her, in hopes that she does not get too bogged down.The Kleptohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10099900051688875227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956989639073843954.post-69542204148527744212008-11-22T20:44:00.000-05:002008-11-22T20:44:00.000-05:00@Louise:I love that edutopia article--and I may be...@Louise:<BR/>I love that edutopia article--and I may be leaning on you sooner rather than later. I started getting nicks from the kids for the wiki space, and they are going nuts now. How do you successfully mingle the new methodologies with the old? <BR/><BR/>I feel like I am walking on the edge of a cliff. Once we jump into the wiki assignment, I'm not sure the kids we will want/need to hear me lecture on anything. (We'll still do labs, discussions, etc.--but the lecture may be dead.)<BR/><BR/>@Sean,<BR/>Thanks for the recognition--Clay knocked me around a little bit, and I've come to my senses. I need to practice graciousness. <BR/><BR/>I'm thrilled!<BR/><BR/>@MaryLou,<BR/>My dream is to keep enjoying this more and more, becoming one of those loving codgers in the classroom who never needs to retire. <BR/><BR/>I still get giddy when I realize I am actually in a classroom, teaching about things I love to share.doylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12901661320505882735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956989639073843954.post-74451003914941792262008-11-22T15:47:00.000-05:002008-11-22T15:47:00.000-05:00Your post is truth. Taught my first science class ...Your post is truth. Taught my first science class in 1987 & love it more today than I did then. The day I don't is the day I retire. While you may be in only your third year in the classroom, it's obvious you've been an educator your whole life. You are doing good things. Please post more & often.MaryLouhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06980956818200193642noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956989639073843954.post-82327102010901895322008-11-22T14:48:00.000-05:002008-11-22T14:48:00.000-05:00I think it is safe to say that I enjoyed this one....I think it is safe to say that I enjoyed this one...<BR/><BR/>http://nashworld.edublogs.org/2008/11/22/goal-directed-exhaustion-is-ok/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956989639073843954.post-89508424417647385322008-11-22T12:25:00.000-05:002008-11-22T12:25:00.000-05:00Excellent post. Many teachers who have been here l...Excellent post. Many teachers who have been here longer still don't get it. I have always had similar thoughts to yours despite losing my way for a few years after being beat down. I am glad I did not quit a few years back (even said it in an <A HREF="http://www.edutopia.org/wiki-teacher" REL="nofollow">edutopia</A> article). The reinvention of myself was worth it. I love that many of my students have contacted me later to thank me or let me know how they are doing. It is about them and I hope many more stay in touch.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06544468563054087057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956989639073843954.post-1627818749379843192008-11-22T11:04:00.000-05:002008-11-22T11:04:00.000-05:00@Elona,Thanks for the words. Your blog Teachers at...@Elona,<BR/>Thanks for the words. Your blog <A HREF="http://www.teachersatrisk.com/Teachers%20at%20Risk" REL="nofollow">Teachers at Risk</A> has been a wonderful resource for me to create opportunities to make a positive difference (without sugarcoating the issues).<BR/> <BR/>@Jenny,<BR/>Thanks, and no worries--I blog for selfish reasons. This post felt too much like homework, and I never did like homework. I'd rather toss words on the screen and see what sticks.<BR/><BR/>@Jeff,<BR/>Thank you for your voice here. A few of us were chatting as students was being dismissed last week, and we decided that it's right around the 7th year you start to master this craft. (One of us had taught for about 9 years, the other for 25--I have almost 5 more to go before I reach 7.)doylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12901661320505882735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956989639073843954.post-51314585480592048012008-11-22T10:41:00.000-05:002008-11-22T10:41:00.000-05:00I've been digging this blog for a few weeks now, b...I've been digging this blog for a few weeks now, but this post has gone above and beyond. I'm in my seventh year, but so much of what you write about rings true for me.<BR/><BR/>Keep it up...you're the kind of science teacher we English teachers can appreciate.Jeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09298384186136277403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956989639073843954.post-53386686224669186052008-11-22T08:15:00.000-05:002008-11-22T08:15:00.000-05:00I have greatly enjoyed your other posts, but I app...I have greatly enjoyed your other posts, but I appreciate this one in a different way. Don't give in to edublogger expectations too often, but I will look forward to reading your thoughts in this arena on occasion.Jennyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04725549451973770515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4956989639073843954.post-24103444800127830712008-11-22T06:41:00.000-05:002008-11-22T06:41:00.000-05:00Thanks for sharing your insight with us. I can rea...Thanks for sharing your insight with us. I can really relate to insight number 1. It really isn't about us, although I love teaching for what it gives me: the opportunity to make a positive difference.Elona Hartjeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11256829192145162528noreply@blogger.com