Last week was a rough week for all of us. We have quite a number of "irons in the fire" and are feeling quite overwhelmed. While we were all having our little mental meltdowns I had an epiphany- We are adults and assume that we are beyond stressed out because we have a lot of "to-do's" but in reality once we get into the classroom our children might feel the same way. We need to be observant of our surrounding and children, watch their expressions and body language and be prepared to take a step back if the situation is needed. Our children get just as overwhelmed as we do but are unable to cope with it since they do not possess the ability to do so yet. We need to plan appropriately, keeping them engaged but not overly busy with "busy work." We also need to have fun interactive games set up that breaks up the monotonous work in front of them.
Rachel,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that we have all been a little stressed out. But, I think it was a great thing that we all had a "come apart" in Dr. Coleman's class. She showed us exactly what we should do when our students feel stressed out. Just pull up a chair, sit down, listen and understand your students.
Great post, Rachel. This is so important. We all assume that we get busy and do not always take our students need into consideration. Sometimes, we all need to take a step back and take a look at what is going on and modify things if needed.
ReplyDeleteI think it is very important to plan fun activities for our students! Right now, in our field experience our students are being over tested and stuck in a desk all day with scripted curriculum. The teachers are being forced to only focus on math and reading and the students are not getting a well rounded education. I hope to make the most of my time in the classroom by planning fun activities that stimulate all areas of learning. The best part is our mentor teachers are so happy to have the students do "fun, group work, hands on" the exact things that we are being taught to always use in our classroom!
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