See Me After Class: You're Being too Negative for this Optimist

The eternal optimist in me struggled a little through this last section of my book. I think there is a reason it is written for current teachers, specifically after the first 1-2 years of teaching. I don’t have that reality yet, and in a year I may agree with most of the things said, or at least experienced them.  In all honesty this book is not for those who are still wrestling with the idea of teaching, but it is an honest book by honest teachers.  It has given me things to think about that typically I wouldn’t from little things like cell phone and late assignment policies to negative teachers and administrators, this section covered it all.  So once again- here is your spark-notes-highlighted-version with reflections from Ms. Hack of “See Me After Class” by Roxanna Elden. 

My Underlines, Highlights & Questions:

"The heart of teaching is forming relationships with students as we move them from point A to point B." 

I loved this analogy.  Working with FFA for the last few years while in college we talk a lot about this, and the importance of realizing that not every student moves directly from from point A to point B.  Every student will be different.  Visiting Pequea Valley and doing some other facilitation engagements I have realized that different students need different avenues to get to point B, and it may take a few U-turns or even fender benders- but we still need to get them to point B.  Even more how we get them there, Elden emphasis the importance of relationships, and how they will look different with almost every student.  As a learner myself I know I am extroverted and not afraid to share responses and ask questions- but that is not what every student is like.  This challenges me to think about how I have students share answers and discuss with their peers or the class as a whole. Question and answer does not need to happen every time, and I do not need to always call students out to share an answer- it is the easy way, because then I know if my students have the ‘right answer’, but it does not give them as much ownership over their learning or put them at the center- it will require unique and new techniques, which I am excited to try out!

"Resist the urge to single out good kids..." and don't give up on those nightmare kids."

Elden and other teachers are really honest in this chapter- both about students and teachers that make our jobs difficult, negative and those that make teacher wonder why they decided to teach. It is easier it seems to focus on the “bad kids” the ones that make you pull your hair out, but Elden also mentioned the “good kids” and the difficulties that can follow them within school. This section showed me the importance of looking at my students yes as a whole class, but even more individually- because they will all have different challenges and triumphs.  It is about balance- which I can’t even begin to imagine how difficult that will be with 100 students through a program in one day.  Each of them or groups of them may need to be challenged in different ways.  Even though it will be hard, I won’t let the challenging students or other teachers hate my job.  A statement that seems ridiculously optimistic, but as someone who is really committed to having my own classroom very soon I can’t help but be optimistic, it’s been a desire of my heart for too long not to be a little optimistic.  

"Students continue to grow up when they leave us."

From cell phone policies, late work to broken rules and the ‘how many times do I need to tell you’ this is probably one of the most important things to remember.  It is not all on my shoulders, and the end of the year is not the true end for my students or for me.  I know I will have the position, ability and desire to make a difference, but my students won’t stop growing or learning after they walk out my door. But if they don’t grow or learn between the times they walked in and walked out, I may have failed somewhere along the line.  

"A note about mentor teachers.."

Elden mentions some things to be aware of when working with our teacher mentors. Thankfully ours for this year were chosen carefully for each of us in our student teaching cohort- and in my opinion I was placed with some good ones!she warns about challenges that may arise for various reasons, but regardless I'm looking forward to being continually challenged Mr. Masser and Mrs. VanSant!  And looking forward to hearing your thoughts on your first few years of teaching! 

But Why....?

But why.....

This is a Cajuela...used to collect coffee beans.  It is
one of the most difficult words I have learned.
I repeated is about 28 times to learn it. 

If you have been following my personal blog or our Spanish for Ag blog, you have realized I don’t always write about the experience I have had touring a Costa Rican farm or the new word I learned.  These things are interesting, but they are not me- they are not what I am really learning.  So why, why would a small town Wisconsin girl studying agriculture education, one of the teaching professions desperately in need of teachers spend time in Costa Rica.  I mean I could take summer classes to speed up my education or work full time, or over time to keep paying my student loans…. there are a lot of options…but why learn a foreign language in a foreign country?  Because it’s worth it.  It is worth it because growth is worth it, my future students are worth it, my future job is worth it, and even my future family is worth it.

Agriculture Education is a profession dedicated to preparing students for future careers and a lifetime of informed choices for a global agriculture industry and world.  Agriculture education has been changing, and in my opinion will continue to and needs to.  Diversity is a topic talked about in most education classes, we’ve all been there, you know when everyone seems to be walking on egg shells.  The list of the differences and unique quirks, qualities and needs my students will have academically, emotionally, physically, spiritually  and mentally could go on for pages, so I will only focus on two.  Language and Culture.  According to the United States 2011 Census 20.8% of the population 5 and over speak a language other than English at home, 61% of which reported to speaking English “very well”.  From 1980 to 2010, this is over a 150% increase, and this was five years ago. So now what?

Easy answer: Just. Learn. English.  Or just sit in an English speaking class and you will be fine. I beg to differ.  For the past month I have taken Spanish classes four days a week and attended 13 tours all in Spanish, and it is exhausting, but again it is worth it.  Through this process I have realized a few things…

Class may be difficult, but at least I can hear all the birds
through the open classroom set up while drinking Costa Rican coffee!

1. The feeling of failure, confusion and disappointment is common and frustrating, but yet I don’t want to ask for help.  Feeling alone in my need for assistance is a terrible feeling.  The thing is, my classmates are in the same boat, we are all learning Spanish as a second language and about agricultural practices we don’t know in English, let alone in Spanish.  In my future classroom it will not be the whole class that feels like this, more like 1-5 students that feel alone, frustrated and confused…I hope I don’t forget what this feels like.  

2. I have come to a hypothesis that the tour guides that have learned a language other than there native language seemed to speak a little slower, clearer and ask for clarification.  I hope to be that tour guide for my students. 

3. Learning a language is not simply learning words, and traveling is not about seeing new places.  It is about learning about a culture, yourself and our world.  Our agriculture industry is global- shouldn’t our students and teachers be too? 

4. Experiences where growth happens are the best experiences. These are the ones that change us, the ones that make us better- I want to provide these experiences and reflect on them with my students.

Why go?  Why take on the feelings of failure, smell like deet bug spray, mix up words like soap and soup and get stuck in my own thoughts? Because it’s worth it, because my future students are worth it, because the future of agriculture education is worth it.