PhyreBards

I promise that I will not let my entries all turn into complaints/rants/whatever else people don't want to read, but today I feel like it's necessary that I document my first practicum experience.

Leslie, I really appreciate your encouragement last week regarding my cooperating teacher, and I'm sure he's as great as you say he is, but I am definitely not seeing that side. This morning I woke up at 7:00 to go to practicum first period. Mr. Metz had said he would email me on Monday, although I got the impression that it was in case there were any changes to our agreement, and I never received an email. I showed up this morning at 8:00; he was off bus duty at 8:15 (an arrangement he set up, telling me to arrive 15 minutes before he was even available, that left me standing outside the locked classroom door for 15 minutes). I was feeling pretty good, because (1) I have some kind of parking setup now, and (2) another two teachers greeted me and told me Mr. Metz is "a great teacher."

Mr. Metz walked up, looked at me and said rather condescendingly, "Why are you here?"
"Well," I replied, "The classroom door is locked, and you said to be here at eight."
"No, I was going to email you, I've been out sick for two days." (And I'm supposed to know this how...?) "I'd prefer to do this on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week."

Thus ended my first day of practicum. Not only did he make me feel like a complete idiot for following the instructions I was given, but I also wasted gas driving over to Cummings and back, dragged myself up and got dressed up for nothing, and am now going to be a week later in starting my practicum. I didn't even get an apology--not even a "Sorry for the mix-up."

I really don't know if I'm going to be able to do this. I'm not sure I can work with this guy, and already I'm thinking I don't want to. I'm mad, and somehow defeated, and just sick of it--and it hasn't even started, really.

I liked that I read about Book Talks this week because it was a totally different perspective on what a book talk should be. I liked that they were in groups and book talked among themselves. Middle schoolers are very social people who are curious about what others are doing. They are figuring out that their lives are different than their friends so they are beginning to be more interested in and place more value in their friend's opinions. The format that the teacher uses in terms of worksheets also helps the student to organize their thoughts in different ways so that they are better prepared to discuss the book with their group. This is a great way to have assesments and make sure that students are reading outside of class. If the students get into the routine of reading unrequired books daily or weekly, then that creates a habit for them to take from your class that will benefit them later in life. I also liked the groups because the students get to practice their social skills so that they can become more confident in their ability to have those intellectual conversations outside of class.