Thinking back to my high school experience, one word comes
to mind: DULL. Sure I was the girl with an amazing group of friends, good
grades, and the extra curricular activities to match, but each day mirrored the
next. I would go to school, hang out with my friends in the hallways, make my
way from class to class, sit in the same seat, and listen to the teacher. The
only exciting things that happened were the things outside of the classroom. A
fun classroom activity was rare, even more rare was a fun activity that actually engaged
students (myself included). My English classes were just as monotonous as were my
days. They were like directions for washing your hair: read, write, repeat. The
assignments were generic, the teachers barely varied their instruction from
what the curriculum stated. My brother is assigned the SAME books, essays, and
common tasks that I was assigned four years ago; I think that says it all.
As I enter North Providence High School for the second
consecutive semester on Monday morning, I am sure that I will once again be
amazed at how different their high school experience is from what I
experienced. I loved everything about North Providence High School the first
time around and cannot wait to see what it has in store for me as I begin my
new journey. NPHS is a place where the students feel welcomed and are
encouraged to try new things that challenge them in hopes of making them better
students and over all better people in their community. Because I am a huge advocate for
creating classroom community and learning things in the classroom outside of
the novels and textbooks, NPHS is a great fit for me. I also strongly believe
in student centered learning and engaging student activities. The
classroom I was placed in last semester was amazing in all of these respects and I can’t wait
to see what my new classroom adds to my teacher toolbox.
I am excited to meet the students that I will be working
with over the next month and the new teacher who will be my mentor through out
the process. The idea of getting to observe the classroom is also very exciting
for me. I love watching the students’ responses to different tasks and
questions, seeing what works, and making notes of what to do in my own
classroom someday. Having the opportunity to observe someone who is described as "an amazing teacher" is also something I look forward to and will take as a valuable
learning experience. A sense of eagerness masks my fear as I begin planning my
lessons and start thinking about all of my plans to engage the students. I'm excited to put what I have learned into practice and begin my trial and error process as I create my teacher identity.
What’s on my mind as I think about going into the schools
next week you ask? Excitement is my answer. I can't wait to get back into the classroom.
