“Work Hard, Play Hard” or “All Work and No Play”

           In addition to strictly working on content all of the time I believe that there should be periods of when students should get a break from the normal routine of the classroom. I believe that many teachers share this sentiment as well. Where the ideas differ, however, is the amount of time these time periods should last. I’ve met teachers who are strictly against showing entire movies to their students and will only show clips at most. At the same time there are those teachers who do show entire films in their classrooms. The films are usually based on literature they’ve read and if not they’re directly related to themes that have been discussed. I say all this to explain a situation that my CT recently encountered that made me question whether or not showing films classified as ‘teaching’.

            During the reading of several stories, on which our primary focus was conflict, we read Jack London’s “To Build a Fire”. To those unfamiliar, the conflict in the story was character verses nature. In the story the main character was challenged by, and eventually succumbed to, the extraneous circumstances around him paired with his lack of knowledge when it came to survival. To both engage the students and further help them grasp this concept My CT played the first fifty minutes (which is the entire class period) of the movie The Day After Tomorrow. Coincidently, the one day that the students spent the entire period watching a film, two officials from the school district as well as the buildings head principals walked in to observe my CT’s teaching. The part of this that I found the most interesting is that she felt obligated to go to them and explain herself. It made me wonder, if there’s nothing wrong with this methodology of instruction why did it seem so bad when the district observed it.

            After class I stayed and talked to my CT about this incident and I really liked what she had to say. She told me that numerous times she’d suggested to the school principal that the teachers be required to submit weekly lesson plans. Not in-depth lesson plans like those we do at WSU, just very basic explanations of what the class will be doing on a day to day basis. These would essentially be similar to the overview many teachers write on the board to inform students of what they’ll be doing for the day (Ex. Monday- Vocab for “Harrison Burgeron”. Read 1^st half, Cornell notes). Had the principal had this information he could have provided the visitors from the district some background which would have reflected well on him as well.

            With all that being said I am brought back to my first concern. Should ‘movie days’ have to be explained, are they not thought of as being a sort of informal instruction? I think if they are used appropriately they should be used and perhaps even encouraged. Even as a college student, I can read something over and over, but nothing paints the picture like seeing it acted out. I also believe that showing movies, especially extensively, can be a bad thing as well and viewed as a result of laziness on the teacher’s behalf. What I’ve gathered from researching and asking the opinions of other English teachers is that there needs to be a balance. Movies can be showed when relevant. Many of the teachers suggested showing particular portions as opposed to entire films. I think this is a good idea also. Movies can and should be used to dive a point home.

 I don’t think there was anything wrong with showing the 1^st fifty minutes of The Day After Tomorrow because it is in this portion of the movie that nature begins to affect the characters similar to the main character in “To Build a Fire.” I don’t believe she played too much of the movie because I’ve been there and I knew her logic for this decision. For our guest, however, seeing this outside of the context of everything else did not seem pleased. . .

Who’s Who in the Classroom: Roles and Responsibilities of the Various Adults Involved in the Teaching Environment

 

               With three adults in my pre-student teaching classroom we, as well as the students, appear to be unclear as to what each person’s role is. I am fortunate enough to have been placed in a CWC (Class w/in a Class) classroom. What this means is that some of our students are special education students and some of them are regular education students. Due to this the classroom has support staff.  Apart from myself there is the teacher and a paraprofessional in the classroom. I can see already that the CT, as well as the students, is struggling with the change in classroom dynamic that my presence involves. I can see that she wants to involve the two of us; however, the physical space allowed can make that difficult at times. The only person who has a clear place in the classroom is the CT. Beyond that, it seems as if the para and I split ‘para duties’.

                It’s important to mention that aside from pre-student teaching my actual job now, and for the last three years, is being a para. Many times we will hear the term para and support-staff as interchangeable words. In my opinion that is my job as a para, to be support staff. That could mean being supportive to the teacher and students in my classroom as well as throughout the rest of the building. It is also imperative to note that this is not my first time working with more than two adults in one classroom. This is the only year that I’ve been the only para in this class. Prior to this year there were always two of us. In that case I never found it complicated because we, the other para and I, had the same job. We performed the same duties and our work could easily be interchangeable.

                As a pre-student teacher, though, I am there as just that, a student learning to be a teacher. I feel as though my place should be by the teacher’s side, learning and evolving, not doing the same job I’ve been doing for three years. I would like to point out that the teacher is not oblivious to this. My CT attempts to be very inclusive and I do believe that as the semester goes on my role will begin to change. Even now, I am very hands on with the students and she allows for, and even encourages, that. I understand the predicament of both my CT and the para in the classroom because if we’d had a student teacher included in my classroom at work that would not mean that I no longer had a job to do. I would not be comfortable with doing nothing at all.

                At the end of the day I believe that we need to find balance. I don’t mind handing out worksheets, grading papers and such things.  Although, I am aware, from working in a teaching environment, that the teacher’s job is far more extensive and complex than that. Sometimes I feel as though I would be EXTREMELY unprepared if my only insight into the teaching profession were my placements alone. I am thankful that I’ve been able to work in the schools.  I’ve talked this over with my CT and we have put in motion plans to incorporate several of the co-teaching strategies listed on the hand out we received at our pre-student teaching meeting. As far as the roles and responsibilities, we plan to share them and remember to keep the success of the students at the forefront of everything that we do. 

Well until next time...