Getting Out My Telescope
The better to see the silver lining.
The class I taught today was for me largely an exercise in patience and crowd control; culpability, embarrassment, and humility; and understanding and authority.
The answer key for a quiz and I made a joint mistake, and then I went on to make some more all by myself. When I promised to regrade the quiz, a student argued that some of her classmates may have taken the opportunity to change their answers (true), and a tiny riot nearly broke out. It was not an exemplary day of teaching.
Except that I believe I handled it with grace, firmness, and respect toward everyone in the room. I've devised a solution to the problem that I'm confident will at least acknowledge each point of view that was (loudly) voiced, even though I don't expect anyone to be overjoyed by it.
Today I did what an instructor does when careful planning fails.
The class I taught today was for me largely an exercise in patience and crowd control; culpability, embarrassment, and humility; and understanding and authority.
The answer key for a quiz and I made a joint mistake, and then I went on to make some more all by myself. When I promised to regrade the quiz, a student argued that some of her classmates may have taken the opportunity to change their answers (true), and a tiny riot nearly broke out. It was not an exemplary day of teaching.
Except that I believe I handled it with grace, firmness, and respect toward everyone in the room. I've devised a solution to the problem that I'm confident will at least acknowledge each point of view that was (loudly) voiced, even though I don't expect anyone to be overjoyed by it.
Today I did what an instructor does when careful planning fails.
Labels: teaching
posted by Amber at 11:42 AM
5 Comments:
you destroyed all who oppose you?
That's what I do when best laid plans fail.
Turns out I get paid the same regardless of the number of students in my classes!
Also, what grade level are you teaching at, out of curiosity?
I teach at a technical college.
you have my deepest sympathies. They gave me two classes this year at the comm college, and one class is fantastic, but it's balanced out by the type of class I had last year - full of uncommunicative students who are lazy to boot.
Most of my students are the opposite of lazy and uncommunicative. But they're also so confrontational that educational games are spent mostly arguing over how the other team is cheating. I've had to stop planning games, not because it isn't still kind of fun, but because it's an enormous waste of time.
I am telling you this story because I hope it will make you feel better about little mistakes in the classroom.
Not to make you paranoid.
SO....one of my best friends is a teacher...middle school (groan). So there she was teaching away and she turned around to write something on the board. She reached all the way up to where she wanted to start.
At which point her pants promptly fell down.
Some days are easier than others.
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