Week 2 in Scarborough

My second week in Scarborough has been quite interesting for several reasons. Here are some:

1)   On Tuesday a grade 6 student held his breath until he passed out, when he woke up he went into convulsions and hit his face repeatedly on the floor thus resulting in a pool of blood in the hallway

2)   Later that week the same kid beat another kid up in the schoolyard to a pulp, he and a couple others are now suspended.

3)   There is a student in my class who’s father has been murdered

4)   If you let a group of grade 5 boys go to the bathroom at the same time, this will result in mayhem and ruckus – never do this – you will regret it

5)   If you laugh when one of your students calls another student “a bulldozer”, you WILL lose control of your classroom

6)   Warden subway stop has a little pastry shop with many inexpensive goodies, if I come back from practicum weighing 10 pounds more, this is why

My AT is in Choir, Strings and Band, she was gone a lot this week for Remembrance Day Ceremony rehearsals and left me alone with my grade 5 class several times and for several lessons. This week I taught Dance, Drama, Science and Language by myself with those 28 kids. At first I was extremely intimidated. At one point it just hit me “It’s like it’s them vs. me”. I thought back to an Education Psychology quiz that said “students will never overtake their teacher”. This gave me some relief because the very thought of them uprising against me had filled me with a certain sick fear. However, once I relaxed the teaching just came naturally. I had a few mishaps (like when I sent a GROUP of boys to the bathroom together, or when I laughed at a student’s joke). Eventually I was able to teach my lesson, control my classroom (I NOW know exactly when and how to get my class’ attention and/or wait for silence) and transition to the next lesson. One big “transition” challenge is to get them back into “school mode” after recess, after an assembly or after a rotary class (they take rotary French and Library classes). 

I am so proud that I was able to do this. Perhaps I am also a little disappointed that my AT never saw the classes that I had prepared and taught or saw the way in which I was managing the classroom – I was able to retell to her how it went but I still wish she had been there or wish that I had had a little video camera in the corner of the class recording it all. In the end I am thrilled that I was able to experience being a “real teacher” and have my own class to myself. I now also understand that good teaching comes only with practice… If I’ve learned this much in two weeks, what will I be like at the end of practicum? Or at the end of June?