I recently got a comment in class that utterly flabbergasted me. Forsythe recently had special "music in the hall" days where they would play music over the PA system during passing time. I was getting ready for the class that I was about to teach during passing time and I was in a good mood. There was music playing and mid-winter break was coming up so I was smiling. One of my students (I don't remember who) then said to me, "Mr. Allen that is the first time I have seen you smile." My jaw dropped when I heard that comment.
Upon reflection I realized that I tense up when I teach for a variety of reasons. I am trying to get through a lot of material and trying to check in with everyone to make sure they are getting it. Because of these things I get tense during lessons and am not always myself. I am working on getting my teaching to become more naturally and to be myself while I am teaching. I think that if I am more comfortable and less tense the students will also be more natural, feel less pressure, and learn the material better. If anyone has suggestions about how to be more relaxed or natural in the classroom I welcome them and appreciate them. Thanks.
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Ryan
ReplyDeleteI think we all get a little tensed up when we are teaching (after 10+ years I still do!). I applaud you for wanting to work on becoming more comfortable with your students and show a lighter-side of yourself. While I am certain you will be able to do this successfully on your own, I just wanted to add one activity that I used to do to help me ease up in front of the class. I used to take the first 5 minutes of every class to go over "current events." Sometimes they were related to social studies, but often I would share a personal experience or story (nothing too crazy) from my life. For example I taught in Ohio but was an avid Michigan football fan, so I would often share about my feelings on the Michigan game from the weekend (sometimes I would try to tie it back to social studies). My students were also allowed to share---often it was related to social studies, but they also liked to talk about the soccer game over the weekend, or announce an upcoming club event. It was secondary "show and tell".
Hey Ryan,
ReplyDeleteGreat post; this is definitely something I found myself struggling with for a while as well. I think the point you hit on about content material is really pertinent when thinking about this. Fortunately for me, I am teaching a class (AP PoliSci) that I already have a great grasp on the content material as my undergraduate degree is in it. This didn't prevent me from feeling what you are describing above at first, though. After I got more comfortable with the students and how the class is run I began to loosen up finally. If I were not as familiar with the content material, however, it definitely would have taken me longer. I wouldn't worry yourself too much. The important part is that you have realized what you need to improve on. As we grow as teachers and gain more experience with both the practice and the pedagogy, I think the tension will lessen on its own.