After 11 years at the same school, an overseas holiday that was cut short and a death in the family, I started a term contract at a co-educational secondary college in the midst of a pandemic. Solid plan Miss Cornelius. Having survived the term, here is a snapshot of what I learnt.
Online learning is hard.
I started my time at this new gig trying to coordinate teaching those students who had returned to school as well as those online. It was hard. Trying to connect with everyone was made even more difficult due to technical issues and my limited understanding of Microsoft Teams. After the first three days, I had to reevaluate my expectations and move forward doing the best I could. Utilising emails as an easy form of communication, setting smaller tasks each lesson and writing step by step instructions on the learning platform helped. Simple yet effective. Online learning reminded me to go back to the basics and to always keep intentions clear and instructions concise.
Teaching at a co-educational school is different. I did not think that it would be but it was.
Kids are kids. Gender is a construct. Teaching at a co-educational school will be no different than teaching at a single sex school. Did I miss this lecture at uni or something? While the majority of students in my class were delightful, there were a few that were… challenging. The first week I put it down to not having taught for a while. The second week I thought I was going nuts. By the third week I had to ask for help. Reaching out and asking for a prep talk from my colleagues was the best way forward as it alerted me to the fact that I needed to rethink my practice in this new setting. Here are a few changes that I made:
- Mind mapping on the board was a must when having class discussions.
- I paid attention to the tone of my voice by recording myself speaking and adjusting the pitch and speed at which I spoke (it also confirmed the fact that I sound like a child).
- Adding an element of competition to class activities lead to increased engagement.
New teachers need you to fake it until they make it.
After a few mishaps at the start of term, emotions were high and negativity was infectious. I was pessimistic and whingy before I remembered that this has a impact on my colleagues, especially new teachers and become more aware of my language. New teachers need to hear that they matter, that they are doing well and that they have your support. Contract teachers also need to hear that their experience matters.
The best Professional Development happens when you are really uncomfortable.
I do not like being uncomfortable. I like being in control. I like knowing things. However, my Term 2 contract highlighted what I was good at (assessment) and what I need to work on (behavior management). It shined a light on the fact that I have some gaps in my knowledge about content (Geography) and reminded me that I like learning new things (Native American rights and freedoms). The term encouraged me to try new approaches (teaching source analysis) and to rethink my understanding of concepts (ACARA Achievement Standards). It revealed new possibilities (teaching Hitchcock films) and made me feel grateful to be a teacher (making connections with people). So… while I was a mess some days, I cannot recall being so reflective and intentional in my work since being on prac!
Enjoy the holidays!
Loved and appreciated your reflective summary!