For those of you that don't know, I have been spending my mornings as Mr. Rummelhart inside Iowa City West High School's AP English classrooms. I figured I would take a post to reflect on this experience.
Man, it has been so invaluable! Nothing can compare to the actual act of teaching, or helping to teach, a class full of young minds. I have been especially lucky because my kids were- for the most part- eager, intelligent, and interested in English as a subject.
Overall, I'm reminded of our partnerships and I'm very glad that we got involved in them. You simply cannot compare "learning to teach" with "teaching", nor can you compare "talking about young adults' writing" with "writing with young adults".
The College of Education provides many classes were I can truly learn a lot, but more importantly they provide me hands on experience, where I can truly use my skills with others, and that I think is the most important thing. I just want to focus on that fact- on the importance of constantly getting out there and actually doing what is so often just talked about.
Hope everyone's week isn't as hectic and tiring as mine is.
Cheers,
Alex Rummelhart
It's awesome that you got so much out of doing practicum and our partnerships in class! It's fantastic that you're able to see from both sides of the table. (Being a teacher and working alongside our partners.)
ReplyDeleteI really want to get a TAG endorsement, and so it would be really cool to do my practicum in an AP class. Did you get placed in one for similar reasons, or did it just happen? Can you request it?
ReplyDeleteEmily, sorry I've responded so late. I think you can request it, but I think they mostly match you up based on time constraints and personality.
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