Feedback is always so appreciated when it comes to lesson planning and beginning to teach.
Everyone in this program goes through a point in time when they question if they’re doing a good enough job and if their students are actually learning. This past week for the first time I have felt overwhelmed and questioned myself, “what if I’m not covering everything and my students aren’t actually learning?”. I took a breath, and I thought for a second about how excited my students were and all of those, “I get it now!” moments. Sure, sometimes it took me a little extra time repeating it and changing the way I explained it, but I did my best and presented everything I had with the help and advice from experienced teachers. I was told I was doing a great job, and that it gets easier and easier the more you teach. But sometimes I feel defeated with those students that were absent for a lesson or just simply don’t understand. These are the moments I don’t feel good enough.
Feedback from outsiders is always eye opening. I’ve now had both the lovely Miss Holly and the lovely Miss Carolyn come to visit me, both for their second time. Holly knows that I value her advice more than anything and has now seen how much I have grown since the first observation, reassuring me that I’m exactly where I should be. She always makes me feel better when she tells me that I have so much passion when it comes to teaching the students that the rest will all come in good time. I’ve gotten advice and feedback from both of them now, and its still around the same area- making sure my goals align directly with my objectives. I thought this time around I did better in that department but after good conversation with Carolyn this second time around, I truly feel like I have a better grasp. The feedback is so helpful, and I feel so lucky to have such wonderful teachers, SP’s and FPF’s in my corner rooting me on.
So I take a deep breath, take their advice and feedback, and try my best to continue making them as well as myself proud!
Alyssa's Blog 
I agree, feedback is key! Everyone who has given me feedback has done so in such a positive way that I always walk away feeling encouraged, never defeated. Between the teachers I’ve worked with, my SP’s and FPF, I receive my feedback from a wealth of experience. I try to incorporate what they’ve said into my teaching so that I too can become a fabulous teacher. If I ever become the one giving feedback, I will keep their reassuring approach in mind.
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Here’s a simple concept. You’re teaching them what teaching looks and feels like, not just content. You’re modeling more than skills. Passion, integrity, honesty, effort and personality traits are not on the grading scale but they are so important for students to see! They see us as people, not just teachers. When I feel like I’m failing teaching the academics and strategies well, I remember I’m teaching them life skills. Personal connections that are real and hopefully more positive than negative. Teaching has many facets, that’s why we’re so valuable!…Karen
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Alyssa and Karen,
This is such an important topic, and a feeling we have all had. Karen’s point is really great. You are always teaching them something, even if its slightly off where you wanted to. Often I feel same way. I feel like maybe I could have included different activities in my lesson that would have made it better/ more understandable for the students. I struggle with scaffolding. We all have things to work on, and we will get there.
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I couldn’t agree more, I seem to always be questioning if my students are learning and if they will actually remember it the content after the lesson was over. My classroom teacher, who has been teaching for over thirty years, still questions herself at times. I try to ensure students are interested and engage in the lesson so even if they are struggling to grasp the content itself, that curiosity and desire, instilled because the lesson awoke some interest in them they never even knew that had, is more important than ensuring they retained every signal bit of content the lesson explored. Ideally its great to do both, but I think just trying to model that learning and gaining insight on the workings of the world can be an enjoyable process that can happen outside the classroom, is an invaluable skill that can make learning the next lesson easier.
Thanks!
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Alyssa,
Feedback is always important…I was observed not to long ago, and leading up to teaching was stress. And nervousness Thinking I could not do it was slowly creeping over my mind. and to be honest, secretly, I thought that I was not doing a good enough job, or I was doing everything wrong…seeing my FPF stroll about the classroom, was not only frightening, but just made it worse for me…at the end, she said “was one of the best lessons I’ve seen out of an intermediate student, and their first observation” and right there…my stress. Turned into confidence. Feedback is key…feedback is everything.
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