Praise the Practicum

And now for something completely different...




I just started a new job at a charter school in Philadelphia. I'll be working 3-6 p.m. Monday thru Friday. In order to student teach in the Fall, I need to put in at least 10 hours in a classroom setting. This is called the practicum. The purpose is to make me know for sure- do I really want to teach for a living? Can I stand being around kids for a living? Would I want to work in a school?

So far I'm working with 2nd, 3rd and 4th graders. My day begins when the real school day ends. We start with homework help in the library. Next is activities; like computers or softball. Here are some issues that I've been confronted with so far during my first ten hours:

-3rd grader crying and leaving in the middle of a playground football game. I asked him to walk with me a little and he said, "Sometimes, I just can't control my emotions."

-I was assigned a 3rd grade girl to whom I'm supposed to pay special attention. She seems a little shy but was disruptive the last time I saw her; she got in a shouting match with a classmate.

-I was assigned to a 3rd grade boy, same deal, but he walks on permanent crutches. No one told me the extent of his disability/exceptionality and I probably won't ask. I told him we will play chess soon and he seemed excited about that. Both students were assigned to me because they need extra attention and each Support Staff has a few students.

-One of my goals during my preparations to become a teacher was to be engaging to all my students; not just the ones who like my lessons and ask questions, not just the ones who talk out of turn and get into trouble, not just the ones whose parents I know- but also the wallflowers, the quiet kids, the new kids, basically, me. And there are lots of them.

-And finally, I'm really trying to observe how my colleagues resolve conflict. Surprisingly I think many of my colleagues over-react to minor behavioral problems. Students who are talking too loud or not working on their homework when asked are taken outside the classroom and scolded. I also heard several colleagues ask questions following misbehavior such as 'What were you thinking?' or "What was going through your mind when you did/said that?' Naturally, I haven't heard students respond to these rhetorical questions.

-So far, I haven't had any problems with any kids and I've engaged about 20 kids in a fairly personalble way so far. Let's see how this changes. The first conflict I have will be a major talking point. I'll try to keep discussing my experience right here. So stay tuned and thanks for tuning it. It'll get better, I'm sure.