I remember my first foray into teaching outdoor education. I shadowed for two weeks watching other teachers conducting lessons on dissections, geodes, tree identification, herpetology, and more. I really valued that time and found the opportunities scarce when I actually started on my own.

When I arrived at UPCS for the summer program, I made an effort to come once a week at least to get to know the students and try to absorb as much as I could. Looking back now, I would rather observe to find insight on a particular teaching pain rather than try to absorb everything. Much of that information was there the whole time but I was not looking for it yet.

Similarly, I attended more than the required rounds for fall and spring and have benefitted from it. I am grateful for seeing other middle school classes taught because I can learn more about how they handle students that I still have no idea what to do with. I pick up ideas on how they conduct themselves in teaching and just see how they put lessons together.

The onsite meetings with the four other UPCS MATS have been so useful too, it’s kind of like therapy but also a time to process the windfall of knowledge that just flies by us. I think in these meetings we can really focus in on students that challenge us and work through situations.

I took part in a lot of meetings with students, some led by them. Others were led by other UPCS teachers, primarily Lauren Mills, who works with a lot of students one on one to help them work through academic and interpersonal issues.

Here’s a video that I am in where a student of mine Alec Hazard had his Student Led Meeting:

http://www.edutopia.org/practice/student-led-meetings-empowering-student-voice

Rounds Observations:

Rounds Observation – Tanya Jung 12.8.16

Rounds Observation – Shannon Donellan 12.9.15

Rounds Observation – Jennifer Manglass 2.19.16

Rounds Observation – Rita Jenness 2.27.16

Rounds Observation – Bess Wilhelm 2.29.16

Rounds Observation- Laura Matthew 3.3.16

 

Next Up: Rounds Sheets