Not very strength based... very anti social-workey. But here I am.
The last 2 times I've taught, the class got rowdy and totally out of control. I had no idea how to handle it, and actually had to excuse myself to the bathroom once because I was about to cry in front of the kids. I don't feel like I have a lot of support in that department. L., the just recently graduated MSW there is one of the teachers, and she has no idea how to handle the classroom, because she is SO strength based, that she can't consequence. And J. (my task supervisor), a veteran teacher with this demographic while having the best intentions, has a "figure it out yourself" teaching approach for me, that is just not working! I have NO training on how to teach, and I'm expected to teach for 1.5 hours.... and I have not been able to hold their attention for 1.5 hours yet.
I am supposed to teach an A.R.T. Lesson tomorrow (there are words like respect, team work, caring, etc. that I have to develop a lesson around). I decided to do a bully prevention lesson, and incorporate those words into what I'm doing. It's a great lesson - I start with an empathy game, followed by reading an excerpt from "Dear Bully", some other stuff, and finally empathy activity by listening to music and talking about what the musician is talking about. I got a phone call saying J. is not going to be there... so once again, I have no support for my lesson... and the more I look at things, the more I'm losing confidence that it will be a good lesson.
I know I need to go in with confidence blazing... but I just don't have any.
How did it go? It takes some verrrry special folks to like middle schoolers--that's such an extremely tough age group.
ReplyDeleteI can only sympathise. I hate teaching now too. I've been teaching for 20 years on and off. Every time I give it another go I regret it. I'm working with 5 - 12 year olds in an out of school care centre at the moment, and I can totally relate to the crying before going to work (and when you get home ... and in the bathroom). Maybe it takes a special kind of person to do it, and we are just not suited. I'm doing everything I can to get out of it now.
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