Day 2
Today was an observation day. It was the last day that the scheduled science teacher from Pacific Union University was to come and teach the class before he could no longer make it due to a scheduling conflict. This teacher is a Physics Professor at PUC. Which to me is somewhat of an oxymoron since PUC is an Adventist school. He brought a variety of chicken breeds for the kids to see. He is a very kind man, with children of his own. It was interesting to me to hear him attempt to describe some of the adaptations of chickens, but when kids would as "why" his response was, "I don't know. My answer would be because God made them that way." Though I realize it was but a single incident, it may have provided an fascinating window into the world of teaching in a religion-based private school.
For the most part, observing the group gave me a good opportunity to really watch the dynamic, see which kids are interested in participating in activities, and which ones just want to hang out and talk and be silly kids. I'm still trying to figure out how to navigate through an after school program and change my own programmed expectations of how I want kids to respond and behave.
The takeaway feeling from the day the joy I felt when kids came up to me to hug me and sit in my lap seeing my for only the second time. I love that about young kids. They are so willing to be open and loving with adults, as soon as they recognize some consistency. I had no problem returning my affection. For the following week, I am planning to design a loose lesson plan that will allow choices an movement through center activities. I think this large of a group with a variety of young primary ages makes it far too difficult to maintain attention at all with one activity. I think they also need an out. If they tell me that they don't want to do a particular activity, I'm just going to say "okay." I think I'm actually going to really love teaching in an after school program. It was always the pressure of having behavior expectations and maintaining a discipline routine with the kids while asking them all to do something that doesn't fit everyone's likes that never really felt right about teaching in a classroom. Now with class sizes getting bigger and bigger as budget cuts are forcing schools to conduct mass layoffs, classroom teaching is becoming increasingly unappealing.
For the most part, observing the group gave me a good opportunity to really watch the dynamic, see which kids are interested in participating in activities, and which ones just want to hang out and talk and be silly kids. I'm still trying to figure out how to navigate through an after school program and change my own programmed expectations of how I want kids to respond and behave.
The takeaway feeling from the day the joy I felt when kids came up to me to hug me and sit in my lap seeing my for only the second time. I love that about young kids. They are so willing to be open and loving with adults, as soon as they recognize some consistency. I had no problem returning my affection. For the following week, I am planning to design a loose lesson plan that will allow choices an movement through center activities. I think this large of a group with a variety of young primary ages makes it far too difficult to maintain attention at all with one activity. I think they also need an out. If they tell me that they don't want to do a particular activity, I'm just going to say "okay." I think I'm actually going to really love teaching in an after school program. It was always the pressure of having behavior expectations and maintaining a discipline routine with the kids while asking them all to do something that doesn't fit everyone's likes that never really felt right about teaching in a classroom. Now with class sizes getting bigger and bigger as budget cuts are forcing schools to conduct mass layoffs, classroom teaching is becoming increasingly unappealing.
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