Re: Co-Teachers

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Every teach (with 2 years of experience) will tell you they
have "many year of experience". Admitting that you are new
opens the flood gates of all sorts of unsolicited advice.

Co-teaching is like a marriage. I was assigned co-teaching with
someone who was the complete polar opposite to me in every
respect. It was very difficult. Fortunately, I was the teacher
of record. I did what I needed to do and let her help where and
when she offered. We got through it. Fifty percent of the
students in a room of 24 students were special education
students.

Why does the school system do this to new teachers?

I hope I never have to co-teach again.

On 9/18/10, Nichelle wrote:
> Yes, it is a very good possibility that your co-teacher has
> been teaching for years. It is probably over 20 years. In all
> fairness, she or he maybe has not experienced this type of
> class settimg before in their teaching career. I recommend
> that you and your co-teacher discipline very similar and use
> the same classroom management techniques. Put on a united
> front together. What are the expectations for your
> classrooms? I use norms verses classroom rules.
>
>
> On 9/17/10, Ms. B wrote:
>> I teach in a program for High School students who were
>> either put out of school for repeated inappropriate
>> behaviors or dropped out for their own reasons. These
>> students are all 17-21 years old. The program is in an
>> urban environment and we have classrooms in church
>> buildings throughout the community so that students have
>> easy access to a program location in their own
>> neighborhood. In my location there is me and one other
>> teacher.
>>
>> I feel that while I do not have a 100% grasp on handling
>> this group (a very difficult group!) I am doing ok.
>> However, this is only my first year teaching and I have a
>> lot to learn. They do have attitudes and try to talk, but
>> we are getting a handle on it and the past few days have
>> been very productive. My co-teacher has been teaching,
>> according to her, for many years (she is in her mid-40s)
>> and to be honest, I feel that there is no classroom
>> management in her classroom at all. So much a lack thereof
>> that it is becoming a serious concern to me. Here is an
>> example...yesterday in the middle of class over half of her
>> students walked outside and have a "smoke break". According
>> to the rules this is not to occur because while they are on
>> our time they are our liability. This teacher had no idea
>> they were even gone until they had been out over a minute.
>> In the meantime, the whole group of them had ventured off
>> to the store across the street to buy snacks or whatever. I
>> am at a loss about how to approach her with this. This is
>> only one example, there are several more issues that have
>> occured.
>>
>> What would you do in this situation?
 

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