Learning How to Teach

Thus far the masters program I am in has been really fun. However, I have been reminded daily that organization is key--I keep finding myself frazzled and behind. Yet at the same time I am just looking forward to teaching my students.

I guess as teachers, we try to motivate ourselves by what we will be teaching. That doesn't always work though, because organizing ourselves to teach is what makes us so stressed out. I find that releasing that stress comes so naturally when I hear someone say "great job."

I was stressed this morning, with the surmounting pile of work I have to do in the very little amount of time I have to do it in. But then I heard those words that are so simple, yet impact me so much. "Great job." It's like saying hello to someone in the hall or in passing. You never know what someone is feeling, and by speaking with them so easily and naturally, you can change their entire day.

So I was teaching my fellow MAT students today about computer integration. My group members, Chris and Phil, did such a good job at synthesizing what the book said about the section. But I had the fun task of creating the activity to do with my fellow peers. So what did I do?

I combined learning, fun, competition, service work and rice all into one great big plate of comprehension sushi. I had 8 volunteers come to the front of the class, 4 in one group and 4 in the other, and we had ourselves a little vocab. competition. While getting the answers right, the students were also sending grains of rice to help hungry children in Africa. The website is called freerice.com and it is a very simple way to feed the hungry. You pick your subject and just start answering questions. For every right answer, 10 grains of rice are sent to African children, somewhere, who are in need of more food. I think that this was a fun way to teach others how to use the computer to help students learn, BUT also have fun.

Even though I sacrificed my peanut butter cups for this activity, none of the stress or confusion afterwards really mattered when my professor, who I have known for four years, told me I did a wonderful job. She pumped me up for the rest of the day. She made an impact without knowing it. She made me drop all the stress from hiring workers for football, to making sure I can do my observations, to realizing I have about 3 1/2 weeks to write one paper and two weeks for another into nothing. I am automatically in a good mood and none of that stress is agitating me right now. I am like a free tigress running through the jungle stalking my prey, which happens to be a fat little warthog (maters/teaching credentials).

Thank you Sharon Porter for changing my attitude today. I appreciate your simple, yet kind words today.

The moral of the story is, I hope to be that teacher that can change a kid's attitude by just saying "great job." I am hoping that students will take my compliments to heart like I did today, and use them to break away from stress and step into lighter thinking. I hope that I can affect change in my community with just words.

So my beautiful blog readers . . . keep it classy, brassy and a little sassy!