Journal Week 2

Just like the previous week, Frans gave me ample opportunities to step in and get a feel for the class and the students. I was given more and more responsibility as the week went on. By Friday, I was teaching a few of his classes. Throughout the week I started to notice what he meant when he said this was a tough group. Most of these students lack discipline and they are very talkative. I have not seen a particular way in which Frans handles their misconduct. It’s always something different, depending on the student and the situation. Frans and I talked about the students and tried to figure out different ways to handle the behavioral problems but at the end of the conversation, there was not a definite answer. The only thing he could tell me was, “There is no right or wrong answer. You will have to figure out what works for you”. That Wednesday, I found out that I would have to come up with a solution quicker than I had planned.  Frans asked if I wanted to start teaching full time the following week and I said yes.

I started planning for the upcoming week, nervous and anxious about teaching the class on my own. Since we had already planned for the quarter, I knew what the next few lessons needed to be and planned accordingly. Frans looked over the lessons, approved of them, and wished me luck. After my first week of teaching I learned a lot. First of all, I learned that it takes a few times at teaching a lesson before its perfect. After each lesson I taught, Frans and I sat down and reviewed what went well, what didn’t go so well, and what could I do to make it better. After talking with him I made the adjustments and the next class went a lot smoother. Secondly, no one thing works for every class. I found myself tweaking and changing my lesson plan/activities to fit the personality of the class. For the classes that seemed unruly, I realized that it’s better to get them active as soon as possible to keep them in order. For others, I could give them demonstrations and explanations in the beginning of the class and then let them practice and be active afterwards.  Lastly, I realized that I am my own worst critic. A lot of times, when I thought a class didn’t go well, Frans would disagree. I think I will have to get use to things not going exactly as planned and just accept and perfect my ability to adapt and make changes as needed.

As for my cultural experience, the main difference here at the school is the lack of discipline and respect the students have for adults. That will take me while to understand. I can understand how and why they act that way but it is hard to accept. It is also hard to deal with. Frans has been teaching here for 29 years and the students still pick and choose when they want to show him respect. Frans said, “The teachers here have tried and are now so tired that we just deal with it”. In other words, they just ignore it or overlook it. In time I will figure out the best way to handle this situation. It’s only been a week and I’m still figuring things out.