Though I am not teaching, I absolutely love being in the classroom. It is so fun to see how the teacher and the students can interact. It thrills me to see the character of a class (meaning the class personality as a whole) come out. I remember teaching three different groups of students. One was the "laughing" class that laughed all the time. The second was the "sweet and quiet group". The third group was the "intellectual group" that I often called the Mary Popins group because they were "practically perfect in every way." You interact differently with each just as a parent might three different children.
Today, I was in an English class with a Chinese teacher. I have observed a number of foreign teachers, but it is a rare and beautiful treat to watch a Chinese teacher work with her students. She brought her personality to the room and the students seems to feed off of her every word. She wasn't the traditional "read from the text and recite the answers" kind of teacher. She wasn't perfect either. She was real.
I appreciated her insights about different students and how she knew who she could call on and was careful about those who didn't know the answer. She didn't shy away from error correction or grammar. She approached the lesson with confidence even though English isn't her first language and she hasn't been teaching many years. I am supposed to be the teacher mentor in this relationship, but I am amazed by how much I have learned even in this first observation. She is also quite open to ideas and suggestions.
I will be observing her two more times, and I am truly looking forward to those visits. It took quite a bit to get to the school however, and Joel had to come along too. One of the foreign teachers at the school was able to watch him. Olivia and Joel both might have to tag along next week as well. It is good for them to get out.
明天见！See ya' tomorrow!
No comments:
Post a Comment