I am well into term
2.
I mentioned in an
earlier blog that starting a new term in Australia is similar to starting a new
year in Edmonton. I am very grateful for this new start because I really needed
the chance to restructure the lessons. I have a much better understanding of
how to get the students who misbehave to consider making better choices.
At the start of the
term I had to reverse the environment from one that was completely out of
control to one that is in control. All teachers learn in their first years that
it is much easier to set high expectations at the beginning of the year than it
is later on. Well… I guess I am lucky to have that lesson again 15 years later.
I have insisted on the standards, been laughed at, and have given consequence
after consequence. I have been phoning parents everyday, spending my lunches
giving out detentions, and most importantly, having those important one on one
chats with the students who consistently choose to distract students from
learning.
Last week, I had a
couple of teachers come in to watch my last block class. I was teaching the
“challenge class” of Science 8. “Challenge” classes are Maroochydore’s version
of Advanced Placement and these students tend to be more motivated and better
behaved. Unfortunately, the class was not going well for me. The students were
chatty and off task and I was horribly embarrassed to have colleagues see me
struggle with a class that any other teacher here would find a walk in the
park. After the class was over I asked one of the observers (my department
head, Sharon) if she could give me any pointers on how to improve. She made a
one-hour appointment with me for Wednesday.
I had mixed
feelings about our meeting to discuss the lesson. I really wanted the feedback,
and I felt ashamed that I was doing so poor. I have gained a fair bit of
empathy for teachers who struggle. I listened very carefully to her advice and
decided to give every recommendation a fair go – even if I didn’t agree with
it. I went home feeling pretty low that day. However, there really is no point
focusing on the negative, it really just makes one feel worse. Instead, I
figured, I will do absolutely everything she advised. What was amazing was how
well her suggestions worked.
I have learned that
low-key interventions like proximity, desk tapping, name use, and eye contact
are really quite useless at Maroochygore. Continuous lifeguard-like scanning is
essential, especially when my attention is taken away giving one on one help. I
have had to expand my mind to engage in several conversations at once. “OK,
there’s 2 sodiums on the left and one on the right, so what can you do to
balance them? Bryson, I’ll be right there, can you go on to the next question?
Amber you need to go back to your seat please, Blake you still haven’t started
the question, do you know what you are supposed to do? Adam, you need to stay
in your chair. Josh, put that phone away and start on the activity please. Yes!
Put a 2 in front of sodium chloride! Good job! Now compare the numbers of
nitrate on each side…”. On Thursday during the last period of the day I had my
most challenging class. I typically walk to this class with an adrenaline rush
because I have never had any resemblance of control with these guys at the end
of the day. Students jump out windows, run water all over the counters, throw
paper, get in fights, and even throw chairs. However, after implementing Sharon’s
advice, the class went really well. They were learning chemistry – almost all
of them. Like a normal class! Sharon popped in to see how things were going and
she looked at me with shock, whispering “have they been like this all class?” She
made sure to tell the class how impressed she was with them and that she had
never seen them like this before. I was so proud of them because these guys
rarely get genuine praise. At the end of the day I made sure to find Sharon and
thank her dearly for taking the time to mentor me. It was pretty emotional.
I often wonder how
I will describe this experience once I get back home. How do I answer when
someone asks “how was teaching in Australia?” The experience has been an
evolution from having my spirit broken to accepting things as they are to small
successes, and now big successes. I just hope that I can keep the momentum
going.
