Don't worry too much if the pre-program assignments made you cry - they made me cry, too. It's not going to be that hard every week. Some weeks are tough and some weeks are easy. Student teaching was one of the toughest things I've ever done. It's extremely intense and incredible amount of work. But it is sooooo rewarding, and I loved it. Don't worry too much if Randy is tough on you. He just wants you to get better. It's tough love!
If you can get through the philosophy paper and other pre-assignments, you can get through ARC. I think that was the toughest part besides student teaching. Put in the effort from the beginning for each assignment in methods, because you don't get a lot of practice before student teaching so try to become as fluent as possible before it comes time to perform.
I will echo what my colleagues have said about the workload at the start of the program. It is scary. Especially for those who are very math oriented and haven't written a paper in 15yrs. Just get over that hump and you'll be fine. Some assignments will be more time intensive than others, but on the whole, it is manageable.
Reflections can be a pain in the butt, especially if you try to do them at the last minute. When you are in core/methods lectures, just jot down things that you might want to include in a reflection in the margins of whatever you are using and come back to them when you are putting together your piece.
Randy and Jaf are presenting to you a teaching philosophy that many of us didn't grow up with. We all remember math classes where everyone silently watched a lecture and maybe came up to the board to do some problems. When you are putting together your micro-teach presentations, try to have your "kids" DO more. The less you talk, the happier your instructors will be. Think of how you might teach a kid how to hit a baseball. Do you talk at her about how to hold the bat, watch the ball, uncoil the trunk, etc? No! You go out to a field and practice, giving advice and corrections as necessary.
Bring a bottle of Tylenol. You would be surprised at how much your head will ache after an 8-hour lecture on Common Core Standards.
There will be times when you think that Randy and Jaf are nitpicking your work. That is going to be a natural reaction. We have all been successful, either in our careers or in school, and we expect success in ARC. It can be frustrating to learn how far from target you actually are. Take all of the feedback from the perspective that they want you to improve and be successful. They aren't just being picky.
Lastly, when I came into ARC, I thought that actually teaching the math was going to be the easy part. It was all of the other stuff that comes along with teaching (classroom management, special education, etc.) that I thought would give me the most difficulty. After all, I know mathematics. How hard could it be to teach it? Well, that illusion was pretty much erased with the first micro-teach. Come to methods class with and open mind and really try to process what they are telling you.
Just do it! If you have a feeling that you are not ready for student teaching, feel anxious or think that you can't hadle the pressure of pre-program assignments, like Randy said: "Everybody does it." You will get through it. Don't give up. Who said "Every day do something that scares you..." ? Sometimes it is not about being scared, it is about being exhausted because we all have families and other life's responsibilities in addition to school. Get orgainized! You will be bombarded with practical information that you will desperately need when you get to student teaching. I felt that I got so many teaching "tools", they were falling out of my toolbox and getting lost. Be a student you wished you had in your class and keep great notes. Quoting Randy: "Never underestimate what they (the kids) don't know." Reflect on your mistakes and on how to do things differently to become a better educator for those kids. Get to know your cohort, they will be your greatest support network and the very best part of ARC. Best of luck and have fun! Elena
Like everyone else I was overwhelmed by the assignments given at orientation. I was worried that the whole program would be that way - it wasn't.
Enjoy your cohort colleagues - getting to know the other people in the class and taking advantage of their support, their energy, and their expertise will multiply your learning.
Randy and Jaf are great resources and have a lot of expertise and like others have said they just want to make you the best teacher possible. The best teacher possible will probably be different from your image of what a teacher is - the stuff you'll learn in ARC is going to be different, harder, and better than what you think teaching is.
Student teaching is a lot of hard work. Plan on having no life for the period of student teaching. Still it will be a great experience and you'll love it.
The final comment that I have is that teaching is way more complicated and difficult than you think it is when you get started in the program and as the ARC program unfolds you'll get the tools you need to deal with what you need to deal with.
Like everyone else I was overwhelmed by the assignments given at orientation. I was worried that the whole program would be that way - it wasn't.
Enjoy your cohort colleagues - getting to know the other people in the class and taking advantage of their support, their energy, and their expertise will multiply your learning.
Randy and Jaf are great resources and have a lot of expertise and like others have said they just want to make you the best teacher possible. The best teacher possible will probably be different from your image of what a teacher is - the stuff you'll learn in ARC is going to be different, harder, and better than what you think teaching is.
Student teaching is a lot of hard work. Plan on having no life for the period of student teaching. Still it will be a great experience and you'll love it.
The final comment that I have is that teaching is way more complicated and difficult than you think it is when you get started in the program and as the ARC program unfolds you'll get the tools you need to deal with what you need to deal with.
If you haven't given PRAXIS II yet, give it ASAP. It's better to get that out of the way before you get deep into the classes and then student teaching. The initial assignments and student teaching were the most stressful times for me. The microteaches were pretty close second. Getting your reflections completed as soon as sessions were finished i.e., that night when the information is fresh in your mind. I would jot down key points during the presentation so I can refer back to them when writing the reflections. Organization and planning your time well is key to success not just in ARC but all through teaching. And good luck! :) Pranitha
While you are student teaching, try as many different approaches as you can. Summarize your Core and methods lessons into action steps (try this, implement that). This will help your reflections and your student teaching. You will end up with many notes and presentations so the summary of actions (take-aways) will be your best friend.
This program can be very overwhelming at times. My advice would be to not read to much into each assignments. Just follow the rubrics and do what is asked of you. Try to stay calm. Randy and Jef are incredible teachers and very fair in their observations and critiques. Goodluck and congratulation on being accepted in the program that is a huge accomplishment in itself.
Don't give up! There are times you'll wonder what you've gotten yourself into. There's times you'll think there's no way I can do this. I cried a few times, I swore a few times (at home, not in Methods or Core, and definitely not AT my instructors :-), but it all got done.
I had to redo my first reflection (the one after orientation) and that almost broke me. I thought if I can't write my own thoughts correctly how can I write the philosophy paper correctly?! Again, it all gets done & I in the end I rocked that philosophy paper.
Get to know your cohort well. They will be one of your best resources for ideas, for support, and for sympathy when you need it.
Enjoy your successes along the way, learn from your mistakes, and always remember why you applied to ARC in the first place. At the end of the program you will realize this was one of the best experiences of your life. Good luck!
Don't worry too much if the pre-program assignments made you cry - they made me cry, too. It's not going to be that hard every week. Some weeks are tough and some weeks are easy. Student teaching was one of the toughest things I've ever done. It's extremely intense and incredible amount of work. But it is sooooo rewarding, and I loved it. Don't worry too much if Randy is tough on you. He just wants you to get better. It's tough love!
ReplyDeleteIf you can get through the philosophy paper and other pre-assignments, you can get through ARC. I think that was the toughest part besides student teaching. Put in the effort from the beginning for each assignment in methods, because you don't get a lot of practice before student teaching so try to become as fluent as possible before it comes time to perform.
ReplyDeleteI will echo what my colleagues have said about the workload at the start of the program. It is scary. Especially for those who are very math oriented and haven't written a paper in 15yrs. Just get over that hump and you'll be fine. Some assignments will be more time intensive than others, but on the whole, it is manageable.
ReplyDeleteReflections can be a pain in the butt, especially if you try to do them at the last minute. When you are in core/methods lectures, just jot down things that you might want to include in a reflection in the margins of whatever you are using and come back to them when you are putting together your piece.
Randy and Jaf are presenting to you a teaching philosophy that many of us didn't grow up with. We all remember math classes where everyone silently watched a lecture and maybe came up to the board to do some problems. When you are putting together your micro-teach presentations, try to have your "kids" DO more. The less you talk, the happier your instructors will be. Think of how you might teach a kid how to hit a baseball. Do you talk at her about how to hold the bat, watch the ball, uncoil the trunk, etc? No! You go out to a field and practice, giving advice and corrections as necessary.
Bring a bottle of Tylenol. You would be surprised at how much your head will ache after an 8-hour lecture on Common Core Standards.
There will be times when you think that Randy and Jaf are nitpicking your work. That is going to be a natural reaction. We have all been successful, either in our careers or in school, and we expect success in ARC. It can be frustrating to learn how far from target you actually are. Take all of the feedback from the perspective that they want you to improve and be successful. They aren't just being picky.
Lastly, when I came into ARC, I thought that actually teaching the math was going to be the easy part. It was all of the other stuff that comes along with teaching (classroom management, special education, etc.) that I thought would give me the most difficulty. After all, I know mathematics. How hard could it be to teach it? Well, that illusion was pretty much erased with the first micro-teach. Come to methods class with and open mind and really try to process what they are telling you.
Just do it! If you have a feeling that you are not ready for student teaching, feel anxious or think that you can't hadle the pressure of pre-program assignments, like Randy said: "Everybody does it." You will get through it. Don't give up. Who said "Every day do something that scares you..." ? Sometimes it is not about being scared, it is about being exhausted because we all have families and other life's responsibilities in addition to school. Get orgainized! You will be bombarded with practical information that you will desperately need when you get to student teaching. I felt that I got so many teaching "tools", they were falling out of my toolbox and getting lost. Be a student you wished you had in your class and keep great notes. Quoting Randy: "Never underestimate what they (the kids) don't know." Reflect on your mistakes and on how to do things differently to become a better educator for those kids. Get to know your cohort, they will be your greatest support network and the very best part of ARC. Best of luck and have fun!
ReplyDeleteElena
Like everyone else I was overwhelmed by the assignments given at orientation. I was worried that the whole program would be that way - it wasn't.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your cohort colleagues - getting to know the other people in the class and taking advantage of their support, their energy, and their expertise will multiply your learning.
Randy and Jaf are great resources and have a lot of expertise and like others have said they just want to make you the best teacher possible. The best teacher possible will probably be different from your image of what a teacher is - the stuff you'll learn in ARC is going to be different, harder, and better than what you think teaching is.
Student teaching is a lot of hard work. Plan on having no life for the period of student teaching. Still it will be a great experience and you'll love it.
The final comment that I have is that teaching is way more complicated and difficult than you think it is when you get started in the program and as the ARC program unfolds you'll get the tools you need to deal with what you need to deal with.
Like everyone else I was overwhelmed by the assignments given at orientation. I was worried that the whole program would be that way - it wasn't.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your cohort colleagues - getting to know the other people in the class and taking advantage of their support, their energy, and their expertise will multiply your learning.
Randy and Jaf are great resources and have a lot of expertise and like others have said they just want to make you the best teacher possible. The best teacher possible will probably be different from your image of what a teacher is - the stuff you'll learn in ARC is going to be different, harder, and better than what you think teaching is.
Student teaching is a lot of hard work. Plan on having no life for the period of student teaching. Still it will be a great experience and you'll love it.
The final comment that I have is that teaching is way more complicated and difficult than you think it is when you get started in the program and as the ARC program unfolds you'll get the tools you need to deal with what you need to deal with.
If you haven't given PRAXIS II yet, give it ASAP. It's better to get that out of the way before you get deep into the classes and then student teaching. The initial assignments and student teaching were the most stressful times for me. The microteaches were pretty close second. Getting your reflections completed as soon as sessions were finished i.e., that night when the information is fresh in your mind. I would jot down key points during the presentation so I can refer back to them when writing the reflections.
ReplyDeleteOrganization and planning your time well is key to success not just in ARC but all through teaching.
And good luck! :)
Pranitha
While you are student teaching, try as many different approaches as you can. Summarize your Core and methods lessons into action steps (try this, implement that). This will help your reflections and your student teaching. You will end up with many notes and presentations so the summary of actions (take-aways) will be your best friend.
ReplyDeleteThis program can be very overwhelming at times. My advice would be to not read to much into each assignments. Just follow the rubrics and do what is asked of you. Try to stay calm. Randy and Jef are incredible teachers and very fair in their observations and critiques. Goodluck and congratulation on being accepted in the program that is a huge accomplishment in itself.
ReplyDeleteDon't give up! There are times you'll wonder what you've gotten yourself into. There's times you'll think there's no way I can do this. I cried a few times, I swore a few times (at home, not in Methods or Core, and definitely not AT my instructors :-), but it all got done.
ReplyDeleteI had to redo my first reflection (the one after orientation) and that almost broke me. I thought if I can't write my own thoughts correctly how can I write the philosophy paper correctly?! Again, it all gets done & I in the end I rocked that philosophy paper.
Get to know your cohort well. They will be one of your best resources for ideas, for support, and for sympathy when you need it.
Enjoy your successes along the way, learn from your mistakes, and always remember why you applied to ARC in the first place. At the end of the program you will realize this was one of the best experiences of your life. Good luck!
Shana