C. Pedagogical Artifacts

Pedagogical Artifacts

1.- Observation Stage

During this observation stage I had the chance to observe a very unusual situation. It was my second day at school, on Friday. It was time for the teacher to delivered the instructions for the class, as I was sitting in the teacher’s table watching the way students behave, my guide teacher told me: can you explain today’s activity? I was very surprised after her request, because I had no idea what the content was. I accepted very enthusiastic. However, I was terrified because I believe that students can feel when you do not what you are doing. In my best mood, I started to explain to the kids the activity; it was about the numbers (an easy one thanks God!); my voice was like shivering. And, I decided to talk only in English. The kids did not seem to understand a word of what I was saying, and they asked me to explain in Spanish. I did not do it, because I wanted the kids to have some English listening. The previous class I noticed that the teacher only speaks in Spanish and the classes are only about the grammar. As I was delivering the instructions in English, I see the frustration faces of the kids. Therefore, I started to explain in Spanish otherwise they would not understand what they had to do. At that point I felt disappointed of myself. As a student, I always said that my classes will be in English all the time; however I was being just a copy of my guide teacher. Nevertheless, it was not my class yet! I did not planned to manage the class that day, my guide teacher asked me to do what she always did. So, I promised not making the same mistakes that most of students-teacher does, being a copy of your “mentor”, you have to be yourself, in order to achieve what you proposed at the beginning.

2.- Team-teaching

Team-teaching, for me it was similar to observation; the teacher planned the classes and I deliver the instructions without knowing the unit or lesson plan.

I remember one day that my guide teacher couldn’t attend to the class because she had a family problem or something like that. I showed up in the classrooms and most of the students were happy to see me there. They were asking: are you going to be our teacher? Or are you going to do the class today? I was so happy to hear those nice words from the students. I was getting ready to begin the class, when one of the kids, the most introverted child of the class told me: when the head teacher is coming back? And I told him, on Friday why? He answered: because I don’t like you, I prefer Miss Beatriz.

I felt so bad at that moment, he was so shy, and so suddenly he told me such a mean thing. I took a deep breath and told him: I know that you like Miss Beatriz, but she had a problem, she will be with you on Friday, ok? He looked at me with an angry face and said: I want her now! I told him the same again: Miss Beatriz has a problem, she will be here by Friday, don’t be mad. And then he left the classroom.

The person who was in charge of those problems told me that he would be in the teacher rooms during the class.

I could not do anything about that situation. I just waited for the next class to talk with him. The next class Miss Beatriz told everybody that I would be giving the class every day. Everybody felt happy except that kid. So, it became my personal challenge to get that student, and I did it. It was a hard task but I accomplished due to I really wanted to make him feel good in the class.

3.- Teaching practice

Here is when most of the unexpected and remarkable situations happened.

I remember that one day I could not do my class because the kids were requested to participate in a casting for a play. However, they were in the classroom 30 minutes before the class ends. So, I decided to explain them the evaluations for the next class, and some materials needed for the class.

While I was giving details of what they will have to do, two kids were talking and talking all the time. I stopped explaining, and told them: can you pay attention to this, it is important for you, it’s about your grades, and assessments. I believe that they did not like the way I expressed those words. So, one of the kids told me very angry: you can’t talk to me like that! And I’m going to tell you on to with Mr. Johnson! I felt like really angry, but I took a deep breath and I remember all my knowledge learned in Marzano’s research (What works in school) where it said that teacher must have an appropriate mental set for hard situations, and do not take things personally. He was upset because I told all that stuff in front of the class. It would have been better if I had told him the same alone, at the end of the class. Therefore, I realized that it was my mistake and I moved on.