I'm so confused right now

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I'm so confused right now

by Nikki619

Mar 5, 2010

Ok, so here's my situation: I have one more week left in my first student teaching placement at a middle school and my university supervisor and department advisor have only come to observe me once ( and that was at the end of this week). My cooperating teacher has been giving me great feedback everyday after I have taught. She tells me that I am a "great teacher". After my supervisor observed me, I called her, and she told me that my lesson had no content and that my students were not learning anything. I have been teaching on WWI for the past couple of weeks. On the day she came to observe,I had a review/closing activity prepared. It was a foldable that took many steps to create and this took the entire class period. My class was eerily quiet ( I suspect it was the two strangers observing that caused this!) I have 10 IEP students in this class of about 28 students total. I did ask questions throughout and a few students shyly responded. It is true that the students were coloring,cutt...See More

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Old Teach I don't know why some supervisors feel they have not done their job unless they find something to criticize. I honestly think some of them are intimidated by classroom teachers. Supervisors sometimes forget that student teachers have to teach those things that they are assigned by their coop teachers, whose classroom it is. I myself, many, many yea...See MoreI don't know why some supervisors feel they have not done their job unless they find something to criticize. I honestly think some of them are intimidated by classroom teachers. Supervisors sometimes forget that student teachers have to teach those things that they are assigned by their coop teachers, whose classroom it is. I myself, many, many years ago, had a supervisor who was a horror. She resented the assignment she had been given,which required her to travel. In addition, she absolutely hated one of my fellow student teachers. The rest of us knew if she went there first, we were screwed. She was going to be in a bad mood for the rest of the day. Also, she was an older lady who thought anything that was being done differently from what they did in her day was wrong.

When this is over, you will have a letter of recommendation from your coop teacher and, possibly, one from your supervisor. The one from your coop teacher is the one that will carry "weight" to prospective employers.

In any case, I wouldn't worry overly if I were you. if your coop teacher is satisfied, as she appears to be, you are doing a fine job.

On 3/05/10, Nikki619 wrote: > Ok, so here's my situation: I have one more week left in my > first student teaching placement at a middle school and my > university supervisor and department advisor have only come > to observe me once ( and that was at the end of this week). > My cooperating teacher has been giving me great feedback > everyday after I have taught. She tells me that I am > a "great teacher". After my supervisor observed me, I > called her, and she told me that my lesson had no content > and that my students were not learning anything. > I have been teaching on WWI for the past couple of weeks. > On the day she came to observe,I had a review/closing > activity prepared. It was a foldable that took many steps > to create and this took the entire class period. My class > was eerily quiet ( I suspect it was the two strangers > observing that caused this!) I have 10 IEP students in this > class of about 28 students total. I did ask questions > throughout and a few students shyly responded. It is true > that the students were coloring,cutting and gluing for an > hour, but the activity was relevant to what they had been > doing for the past couple of weeks.Also ,it is a time > consuming activity. > > I have the supervisor who is telling me that I am > inadequate as a teacher and a co-op who is telling me how > gifted I am. The co-op sees me everyday and the supervisor > saw me once during a closing activity. Could someone give > me some insight? > Thanks

Mar 7, 2010

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vet teacher It's a pretty simple situation - your co-op teacher who works with you day after day sees you teach and knows the truth. Your university should take her opinion most seriously.

As to your supervisor, many of them have never taught outside the college level or if they did - it was years ago - and they went on to get their Ph.ds because they...See More

Mar 8, 2010

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On the other side.. I do see a problem with most kids spending a whole period-- other than in art or kindergarten, of course-- cutting and gluing.

I have been annoyed by how many teachers I see (including my own CT) constantly doing art projects in class.

I do NOT think anyone should fail only because a US saw an art day and demanded the student te...See MoreI do see a problem with most kids spending a whole period-- other than in art or kindergarten, of course-- cutting and gluing.

I have been annoyed by how many teachers I see (including my own CT) constantly doing art projects in class.

I do NOT think anyone should fail only because a US saw an art day and demanded the student teacher be removed and/or failed, but a lack of content is not a trivial or nitpicky issue. (I had a CT who insisted no activity could ever take over 7 minutes and would jump on me if I took 8; that's trivial and nitpicky.)

Of course a CT saying you are gifted is a great thing, but I do think your US has a valid point.

Final point: Saying a lesson "has no content"-- when the OP said most kids cut and glued all period-- is not the view of someone from an ivory tower who has no clue what the real world is like. It is valuable, honest, and practical help! Good teachers have clearly visible content in all lessons. Please don't jump on me and say I said the OP is a bad teacher.. I am NOT saying that. But we are in school to learn how to be effective teachers--including making sure all lessons are content based-- so I don't feel this US was out of line.. unless there is more to the story than what the OP posted.

On 3/08/10, vet teacher wrote: > It's a pretty simple situation - your co-op teacher who works > with you day after day sees you teach and knows the truth. > Your university should take her opinion most seriously. > > As to your supervisor, many of them have never taught outside > the college level or if they did - it was years ago - and > they went on to get their Ph.ds because they didn't like > primary or secondary teaching... > > I find they know Nothing about real classroom teaching. > That's why they always say "they're teaching the theory" - > it's a covert admission of the truth - they know nothing > about teaching and have nothing to say of any practical help. > > Don't take anything the supervising teacher said to heart. > And this supervisor should have been asking you questions as > to how you led up to this day (but she/he might not know that > as real classroom teachers we do lead up to a culminating > activity) and your supervisor should have talked to your co- > op teacher and - to your kids too. >>> >>> I have the supervisor who is telling me that I am >> inadequate as a teacher and a co-op who is telling me how >> gifted I am. The co-op sees me everyday and the supervisor >> saw me once during a closing activity. Could someone give >> me some insight? >> Thanks

May 13, 2010

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