I must admit that adjunct "professors" in Graduate Schools of Education do not make a ton of money, just in case you might have been thinking of this as a get-rich-quick-gig. Yet, the "gifts" and kernels of wisdom that emerge from my second job can only be compared to those I "earned" from teaching religion (CCD) to middle school students! They are price-less!
Both groups of learners are exhausted when they get to you at the end of a long day. If they read their homework assignments, they really do not take the time (have the time) to reflect deeply. They sit in class hoping that you will talk and they can lull themselves to an-open-eyed-slumber; but, with a good stimulus or assignment, they are able to think-outside-the-box and make ME think deeply about life-long living and learning!
"So why did I ask you to read this article," I asked? "Turn to you small groups and talk."
"I was wondering why," one student responded quickly, " I never met a Literacy Coach!"
"I was wondering if she thinks teaching is like coaching?" someone asked the group.
"I was thinking that too," said someone in the other group as my turn and talk turned into a whole group talk-over, speaking about me as if I had left the room!
"Well I coach dancing and you show them again and again until they do it."
"I coach swimmers and I do that, too," someone said.
"You always just model and scaffold?" someone asked. "That must be how we all learn!"
"Until they have it and then you let your little birdies fly."
"I guess teaching teachers is like coaching!"
"Coaching is like teaching!"
"You tricked us into thinking," said one of them to me!
"I'm watching them start to flap their wings and it's only class # 5," I smiled to myself pretty sure some of them will remember this moment and make Coaching, Turning and Talking, and Making Connections part of their classrooms in the days, weeks and years ahead.
Both groups of learners are exhausted when they get to you at the end of a long day. If they read their homework assignments, they really do not take the time (have the time) to reflect deeply. They sit in class hoping that you will talk and they can lull themselves to an-open-eyed-slumber; but, with a good stimulus or assignment, they are able to think-outside-the-box and make ME think deeply about life-long living and learning!
"I was wondering why," one student responded quickly, " I never met a Literacy Coach!"
"I was wondering if she thinks teaching is like coaching?" someone asked the group.
"I was thinking that too," said someone in the other group as my turn and talk turned into a whole group talk-over, speaking about me as if I had left the room!
"Well I coach dancing and you show them again and again until they do it."
"I coach swimmers and I do that, too," someone said.
"You always just model and scaffold?" someone asked. "That must be how we all learn!"
"Until they have it and then you let your little birdies fly."
"I guess teaching teachers is like coaching!"
"Coaching is like teaching!"
"You tricked us into thinking," said one of them to me!
"I'm watching them start to flap their wings and it's only class # 5," I smiled to myself pretty sure some of them will remember this moment and make Coaching, Turning and Talking, and Making Connections part of their classrooms in the days, weeks and years ahead.
5 comments:
It doesn't matter what level you teach the joys are always right in front of us.
Ha - yes, the trick of our trade is to trick them to think.
What a great story! I loved reading the conversation as it progressed from questioning to understanding.
I love the snippets of conversation! It's so true!!
Clever how you put in bold at the end the strategies they had used-discovered for themselves.
You sound like a good coach and teacher :)
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