Tales from Teacher’s College
We learn a lot of different things in Teacher’s college. We learn the fine art of educating the world youth. We are given the skills to prepare units, lessons and activities that will engage students and give them the wisdom to be responsible and productive members of society.
However, there are many other things that were taught to us as we were preparing to embark on our teaching journey. These are the stories from teachers college.
One of the major components of the work we did in teacher’s college was group work. We were constantly asked to work in groups to complete projects and work on activities. They would have us switch partners regularly and get to work with other people. This happened in most of our classes and we found out eventually that it was very much done intentionally.
Pixabay
Our professors would regularly talk to us about the importance of teamwork in the school setting. In order to best help students succeed it is important to work with all the key players. Teachers working with teachers, educational assistants, support staff, special education staff. The list can go on and on including working closely with families.
We were told that we could be very good teachers on our own but with the support and help of others we can all be great and this is what we need to be for the betterment of our students. They also warned us that not all teachers work well with others and the that there has been a lot of resistance to the world of co-teaching.
Pixabay
I quickly saw everything that our professors were telling us about when I started my first teaching gig. There were some teachers that kept very much to themselves and wanted nothing to do with co-teaching. It was almost as if they didn’t want anyone looking in on what they were doing. They seemed very defensive or protective about their program.
I personally was very lucky to find a teacher who was interested in co-teaching. As a first year teacher, the mentoring and development that I received through working side by side with another teacher was invaluable. I wouldn’t change that for anything and I try to pay that forward whenever I have the opportunity.