by Gerri, Kendall, and Dee

Kendall, Dee, and I chose to teach a third and second grade class French at Bayview. We all had very mixed teaching experiences up to that point. Dee and I both participated in the TAPIF program: I worked in a high school and Dee worked with elementary school children. Kendall also taught French students in high school during her studies abroad. All of us taught English before, but not French.

Needless to say, while Kendall and I looked forward to the  opportunity to try new things, Dee was the most comfortable walking into this experience.

Our first class was with third graders. Overall it went smoothly: the children paid attention, stayed in their seats, and seemed enthusiastic about what we were teaching them. However, we forgot to hand out the worksheet we had made right off the bat, and out lesson would have gone more smoothly had we not neglected to do this. In particular, the children enjoyed looking at the books we brought in and the coloring activity at the end of our lesson.

The second grade class was completely different. While we learned from our previous mistake, and handed out the worksheet right away, they lacked the attention span to make use of it. The class’ teacher did not stay in the room with us, and the children outright refused to listen to the aid that remained in the room.

Kendall and I were particularly flustered by the second grade class. While we both love children, we came out of the experience  not  comprehending how anybody manages to teach children, and having great admiration for those that do. It was frustrating to see such a lack of classroom discipline and not knowing how to fix it. We were not told the quiet signal before the lesson, however it might not have made much of a difference, as the children ignored it when the aid used it. It also became very clear to us that the worksheet we made was too advanced for their grade level, which we’re sure did not help the disorderly classroom situation. Our lesson too, for this reason, took longer than before.

We understand that this class is not reflective of all classes, and take the experience with a grain of salt. The difference in each class really showed us just how varied teaching can be, and how important it is to be flexible in your lesson planning. Having a high tolerance for ambiguity and setting expectations for your classroom early on also seemed to be useful.

On a positive note, this experience reminded us all why we chose to become teachers in the first place: to see that moment of joy when students are engaged and understanding what they are learning. The children were incredibly insightful and creative while designing their planets, and it was so much fun talking to them about their creations. We even got a note from a third grader saying “you rock”.