BTW...

Re my stoftness with students.
This has shifted. I still put up with students talking over me more than I should, but not as much as I did.
I did have a challenging person who wanted to be bored most of the time, lying on the floor, acting sleepy, feigning dumbness.
Here are my various reponses:

• 'Try this first, then decide.' 
  Open and encouraging, but still allows the option of choosing boredom.
• Say 'I want you to give it a go. I think you'll be good at this', place this in front of student and walk away.
  This worked a few times, but had to be done in the morning.
• Work through task with student, usually after they'd said she didn't understand it.
  Worked in that the job got done, but didn't in that I was monopolised, and I soon learned that she did get it, but that she was either lying about it or hadn't listened the first time.
• After three requests to get off the floor, or whatever avoidance strategy was being used, I'd say in a big stern voice "Sit up, get started and have a go! There no reason why you can't do this. I want to see (this much) by (when)."
  This, strangly, worked best. Usually this student would happily work really well and nicely for the rest of the day after this.  I still don't know that the go is there. Maybe she wanted to draw attention, get me 'upset', know that I cared enough to be upset for her, or know that I expected her to be on par with everyone else. She's a bright spark, nonethelesss.

Ready to Teach

With each teaching round you supervising teacher has to produce a report for your university. At the end of the report are two boxes, essentially saying Ok, or Not Ok. On your last round the 'Ok' option says 'Ready to teach'. And my teacher ticked that one. :D

The report has to be agreed on by both student-teacher and supervising teacher, and my ST seemed to have only one critical comment: Something to the effect of 'Should step back when more experienced teachers are present to take charge'. Which I think is code for 'bossy' and 'talks too much'*.

This has been a recurring problem in my life. I can cite being young for my year level (inferiority complex?), oooor being the youngest (by a long way) in my family (who chronically interrupt each other), or being bossy, or my previous post. But in the end I wasn't that worried about it... I've decided to put it down to reckless enthusiasm. I think that a few of the stepping-on-toes events might have been because of presumptions about student-teachers; how are they to know that I've worked with databases, or have a drama/dance background? Or that after 4 years of FT work I just can't be bothered acting recessive and/or submissive just to let people feel justified? I'm too old for that crap.
Ah, well,... its as good for them as it was for me, eh?


*I know that it may, mind you, also mean 'Overestimates her ability'. But I didn't take charge of anything in place of anyone else, or when uninvited, and I didn't get that message in her report either.

The End Part 1

Last Monday was my last day of teaching rounds for this year. It was my last day to officially practice teaching primary-school aged kids.  Once I get my results back on Dec 2 (God willing) I'll be done for the year.

Of course, as a regular IT user I've been feeling guilty for not posting more often during such interesting life events, but I've been afraid of unethically blurting our stories about children or other school antics. Interesting to me, not necessarily to others. Doesn't stop me from using the stories in general conversation though, with names removed/changed, of course. Case in point, the last words from the child who opened up and leaned on me the most were 'Can I go now?'

I also know that my 9yo neice reads this blog too, so I'm trying to keep it clean and appropriate, which is sort of pointless in blogging but I'm challenging myself to stay interesting without swearing. Which is going to be a pain in the ass in no time.
In other news...

• I've already gotten temp work lined up for around Christmas, and its 3 days a week for about 6 weeks.  Note inherent up and down sides to that.
  
• I've already gotten work during my 'week off'. See above.
  
• I have a wedding of two best friends next weekend, that I'm really looking forward to, but have yet to find a gift we want to give them. (Up and down sides provided)
  
• My youngest brother turned 40. Not really much more to add but I understand he had a really good time.
  
• I've tried my best to understand the upcoming state election, but have become increasingly annoyed.
  

Other stuff as happened, of course...

I have a mid-semester break now, for a week. For most its merely a patch without classes when we can get on with our work, and I'm one of those folk.
Since last posting I've completed a teaching round in a far away place and done another Amelia Earhart cap, one that actually fits me, and just in time to go away with the rest of the winter clothes till next year.
So, I've learned a few things...

1. I'm bossy. I don't know where this comes from. As a kid I was generally unpopular and rent-a-crowd in style. But now, as a post grad I actually have a reputation for taking charge. Eeew! I end up in groups and poeple say 'You look like an organised person. I think you should manage the group.' 'Yeah me too' say the echoing members. I have a teeny bit of resentment until I realise I don't like group work unless I either really trust the group leader, or I hijack the group's mangment so I'm happy with the way its going. It's not that I'm inflexible, or don't like others' ideas (yeah right, you say) but I get nervous if we're without a leading focal point, so to speak. And in this society people are too polite to complain or stop me. I do this with group teaching too, unless the process has been decided upon earlier.
2. I'm thorough, I think. I'm not entirely sure but I'm getting crap about it. People know me by name before they've met me, due do online work through uni. They say to my friends 'You know her? What's she like?' I mean, come on.
3. I'm softer with students than I thought I'd be. When they sook, or don't feel like doing things, I try to talk them around to being motivated, or sympathise with their situation. In other cases I think 'What? forget that! get on with the job and get it done. Weak!!' Lord knows how effective indifference would be, but there has to be a middle ground I can work with. Something like 'You'll be assessed on it. And things could be worse. The sooner you start, the sooner its over.' etc etc.
4. If someone in the group is a greater extrovert than me, I shut up. Because I, too, am a sook. At some stage I might shift the status struggle and win-over with 'superiority through maturity', but I've got to be bothered, and there are conditions attached.

So I've got my hand up for temp work in this week off but you can't plan for anything of course, in case something comes up. God willing, my industrious streak will keep up till the end of term...