"Mr. Caruthers when are you going to wear short sleeves so we can see your tattoos?"

Eight Day of student teaching? FanDangTastic! (Not a real word alert!) Today, I got observed by my supervisor, Dr. Miller I had her come to my most disruptive class. She encourages us to invite her to observe the class that is the most unruly because she can give us the most feedback from her on how to handle disruptions and become better managers of our classrooms. I took a chance, and it worked out!
I taught the same exact lesson from yesterday because the school has “two” days of classes. There are 3 history classes on “A” days and then 3 on “B “days. Yesterday I taught all the “A” day kids so today I taught the “B” day kids.
Enter the students of B2! Now these kids aren’t Bebe’s kids or some of those jokers fresh out of the movie “Lean on Me”. They just like to talk. That does not make them bad necessarily. When I was lecturing (being a little nervous because the Chair of OC’s Education Department was observing/evaluating me!) I was talking kind of fast. The class was like, “Dang can you slow down!” I smiled and responded with “Oh my bad! You guys let me know when I’m moving to fast!” I slowed down for the kids and told them that they didn’t have to write everything down. After that they seemed to calm down and listen and take notes as I had asked them.
I will admit that yesterday I pulled my sleeve up to high and a girl from the B2 class saw my tattoo and yelled, “You got a TATTOO!” All the girls wanted me to show them my tattoo. I refused. So toady while I was handing out the student’s worksheets one girl said, “When are you going to wear short sleeves so we can see your tattoos?” She was sitting right in front of my supervisor. I just laughed and kept moving. YIKES!
Later I talked to my supervisor and she gave me the run down on what she thought about the class and my teaching. She told me that when she talked to my cooperating teacher, and how she her that the B2 class was her worst and they had scared substitutes away (true story). My cooperating teacher told Dr. Miller that she has really been impressed with me especially with how I handle all her classes, when Dr. Miller told me this I was blushing, but she didn’t know. She wouldn’t be able to see it (I’m brown). Dr. Miller also said that she liked how I handled the students when they yelled out that I was talking to fast. She said it was good that I corrected my tempo and even better that I told them that it was okay for them to let me know that I was moving to fast. Whew they made me nervous when they did that. Dr. Miller also said that it was good that I shared personal things during my lecture because she could tell that the kids really like me and they want to know more about who I am as a person. She said, “They want to know about you. They want you to wear short sleeves. They want to know about you”. Dr. Miller heard the girl. I laughed again. YIKES!
All in all Dr. Miller said that I did a good job and she couldn’t even tell that the class she observed was my most disruptive group. One thing that she said that had an impact on me was that if the kids didn’t like me they could of acted up if they thought it would make me mad, seeing that I was being observed. The kids like me! They could of made things worse but they chose to work with me! We are a team! So on my evaluation I got a 91/100. That is pretty “snazzy” for my first time. Right? I can only improve so I’m planning on how to really engage my kids from this point forward!

As always I’m ending with a quote, “In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.”-Thomas Jefferson. I like that quote. I noticed that my cooperating teacher has that quote featured on a poster in her class. Thomas Jefferson was our third president. I don’t agree with everything he said but I like what he said regarding “principle”. Principles are fundamental truths that serve as a foundation for a series or chain of beliefs. One way to get things moving with today’s youth is to show them that you have principles. Things that you are willing to stand for, I’m sorry (to say again) but we as a people need something to stand for. The more I think about that quote the more I realize that is what kids are looking for in a teacher. Someone with integrity and someone that is consistent. That won’t sway like the wind. When you can be consistent you can be dependable and when you are dependable you can be trusted. My cooperating teacher was telling me that these kids really need male figures in their lives and that they need good role models. I’m going to be that role model for these kids. This one kid in my B2 class really makes an effort to come up and speak to me before and after class. He’s a neat kid. He used to be a troublemaker last year and now he’s on the right track making good grades and staying focused. My cooperating teacher has told me that he looks up to me. Wow. Scary huh. Being a teacher, kids are really going to be looking to me for guidance and direction. Note to self: Make sure you get your self together! Well I’m out have a great night!