Eighth Day of Practicum, Fall ’10

Today was very, very slow. My Host Teacher, as she told me last week, was not there, so I had a sub (well, two, actually), and that was, well, interesting. The first sub was a young guy, and since he knew a lot of the students’ names and vice versa, I gathered that he is probably a frequent sub. He was great with them. He had positive relationships with all of them, and he knew exactly what he was doing. That class watched a movie. I have no idea what the title of the movie was, but it starred Kevin Kline as a very influential teacher, and I caught Jesse Eisenberg, too. Anyway, the class really seemed to enjoy the movie.

As always, I also observed a couple of classes taught by the other teacher who shares a classroom with my Host Teacher. I really noticed something today that I don’t think I really noticed before, or if I did, I just shrugged it off because it works for him. Not too long in my ADO 310 class, we talked about using sarcasm with your students and how, as a general rule, you shouldn’t use it unless you have that kind of relationship with your students (and even then, you have to be careful, because you could really upset a student by using sarcasm with him or her). However, he definitely uses it with them to a great extent, but like I said, it seems to work for him. Maybe it depends on your perceived personality. Are the students fully aware that you are kidding with them?

Anyway, the second sub took over in the afternoon, and she was not anywhere near as successful as the guy was in the morning. It was blatantly obvious that she was incredibly nervous, first struggling to find my Host Teacher’s lesson plan and then asking the TA for help. The students did not respond well to her at all, refused to do what they were told and got nothing done. So, it was interesting seeing two subs today and seeing two totally different outcomes, and of course, there are many variables that come into play besides the method(s) that the sub uses, although that definitely did come into play today. You have to account for time of the day, the students that are in the classroom, and so forth. It makes sense that a morning class would be better behaved than an afternoon class. My next (and last) Practicum is on December 3rd, and that is when I will be teaching. Wish me luck!

About the Author

Hey, I'm Christopher. I am currently a graduate student in the SUNY Oswego English program, and I am also a Desk Attendant in Sheldon Hall (where I am also living). I graduated with two degrees in May 2012 - English and Adolescence Education with a Concentration in English. I substitute-taught in Rome City School District fall 2012 and then came back to school in January 2013 in order to obtain a masters degree in English, which I plan to obtain in May 2014. I love to read, and I love TV shows, especially science-fiction and fantasy.
Email: ccook@oswego.edu
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