Itis always very interesting to speak with someone about their craft, especially when they are giving a novice advice. The over arching theme of our first day discussion was to be a firm but flexible teacher. “Nothing ever goes as planned” I was told, “you have to be able to roll with the punches”. First days for anything can be beyond nerve wracking, and as a potential teacher, the thought of the first day of school is both exhilarating and terrifying. When I asked my cooperating and visiting teachers what they believed was the best way to start off the school year they told me that the first days should be about introductions and logistics. By doing this, we allow our students to acclimate to the way we run our classrooms – something that is very important if we are going to have a successful school year. Finally, as an aspiring English teacher, I was curious about the literature that is being studied in high schools today. My experience, as I mentioned to my cooperating teachers, is with canonical literature – the classics if you will. Although I am actively trying to become more fully versed in young adult literature, it is not currently my area of expertise. My cooperating teachers explained the value of using young adult literature, not in place of, but as a supplement to the canonical literature, as it helps struggling readers, even simply uninterested readers, to become more fully immersed in both the literature and the lesson.
Laura,
ReplyDeleteWhat was the first day like in your classroom in terms of introductions and logistics? Because I am in the A.P. English class, most of the students already knew each other and Ms. Shoaf. She discussed what was expected of the students, but for the most part it seemed like they already felt comfortable and were aware of the first day routines and classroom rules.
I think it’s interesting that you brought up the topic of young adult literature. I took a class on it last year and we had an interesting book by Pam B. Cole titled Young Adult Literature in the 21st Century. There is an entire section on the pairing of the classics with more recent young adult literature based on themes and topics that you may be interested in. The suggestion is to read the texts together, rather than just one or the other. For example, you could use Kate Chopin’s The Awakening with the young adult text Define Normal by Julie Anne Peters because both are about identity (Cole, 2009).
Cole, P. B. (2009). Young Adult Literature in the 21st Century. New York, NY: McGraw Hill.
My first day was awesome! I am being shared by two cooperating teachers in two different grade levels (11th grade ELA and 9th grade ELA/CTT). It sounds like my 11th graders are much like your seniors, they all knew each other, understood classroom decorum, and were fairly well behaved. They also were given a writing assessment to complete. The class moved along fairly quickly and without incident.
ReplyDeleteMy 9th graders, although very well behaved, had a different first day experience. From the get go, their class was significantly more structured. They were required to line up outside the classroom before being allowed into the room. Once they were allowed in they were given assigned seats based on the order in which they were lined up. Once seated. their teacher got right into the logistics of how the class would operate. He distributed a handout with class rules, class breakdown, and materials needed - he then went over the sheet in detail. Following this he gave a detailed explanation of the books being read this year - a book talk if you will.
I am very interested in seeing how these two classes run, especially since they provide me with two completely different teaching styles and experiences.