“How much time do you spend up in front of the class?”

I am taking on a student teacher next fall. Been awhile. Hard for me to “give up” my kids. But I also recognize the role we need to play to help those entering the profession, so I agreed to “share” a student teacher with my grade-level partner. Of course, it helped that I knew the candidate prior to my agreeing to take her on. She was in my classroom management course at the university. As such, I knew she’d be a fit, which is key.

Yesterday, she spent the day with us, observing, taking notes, asking questions. Near the end of the day, she asked the question above. “How much time do you spend up in front of the class?”

Very little. In fact, with the arrangement of the room, one may not even be sure where the front is. More, if one were to observe, as she did yesterday, most of my time is spent alongside rather than in front of. But that wasn’t always the case.

I used to spend half the period up there. I thought I had to. And I thought I was good at. I could talk a lesson up like a pro. And the more I talked, the more I liked what I was hearing, so the more I talked. I talked and talked and talked. I thought that was teaching. Man, did I waste a lot of time. Years.

“Very little, kiddo. Very little. I spend my time alongside kids, giving them feedback–as you saw today. That’s what I’ve come to believe is teaching. I will spend no more than 5-7 minutes introducing a task. I just want the kids to have enough to get going because it’s during the going, the doing that teaching and learning occur. I used to think the key was in the frontloading of the lesson. But too often I discovered that my “fantastic frontloads” were falling flat, so I changed. It was a gradual change, to be sure, because I had to let go of what I thought was important, what I ‘knew’ I was good at. Next year, when you and I are co-teaching, we will spend our time among kids, not in front of kids.”

Sometimes, though my I am resolute in my beliefs, I wonder if I shouldn’t be up front more. Of course, I think it’s just the old days, the old ways tugging at me. But tug as they may, I will stay, where I am, alongside kids.

Today’s Trail

Along today’s trail we will experience…

…connecting through Smiles and Frowns.

…wrapping up writing. Tomorrow, we start presenting.

…reflecting in our Journey Journals.

…hearing a Sappy Sy Rhyme.

Happy Tuesday, all.

Do. Reflect. Do Better.