Thursday, April 23, 2015

Team Teaching


...is my new favorite assignment.

I mentioned yesterday that it was a special ed week. It seems like all the special ed teachers now have at least one period a day where they team teach with a general ed teacher. So, two days last week I got to go and "help" another teacher for a period.

10th grade English. They were reading To Kill a Mockingbird, too. But rather than listening to it, this teacher had a whole other thing going. They read on their own for a while. Then they did an activity related to the reading.

My job was to "help as needed". But it was one of those days where I wasn't needed much. So, I got to observe another teacher at work. It was cool.

The other team teaching period was a different day. This time it was 7th grade English. The class had been state testing all week, so they were having an "easy" day. They were doing preliminary work before they were going to write a short story.

I had a bit more to do this period as the students had several things they had to complete. And 7th graders being 7th graders needed more hovering to stay on task. But again, I got to do quite a bit of observing. It's fascinating to watch teachers work.

The students don't behave this well for the sub.

What's your favorite thing about your job? Have you entered the giveaway yet? 

Today's A to Z Challenge post brought to you by the letter...

Sorry, T not available for the giveaway.
But many other great letters are.

27 comments:

  1. I'm sure seventh graders are a handful.
    I like my job because I get to work on my own. And I get to blog from work. Bonus!

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  2. My husband taught for 30 years. When I met him he was nearing the end of his career. I never got to chance to observe him. I’m sure I would have seen a whole other side of him.

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  3. So true that students don't behave well for subs; that's why I feel for you and all the other subs! That was neat thought that you got to observe other teachers at work and maybe pick up a pointer or two.

    Favorite thing about my job is working at home and avoiding the commute :)

    betty

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  4. Teaching is such a difficult profession and I'm full of admiration for anyone who goes into it. As for substitute teachers, I only remember being grateful that we were seeing a different face - but that was many, many years ago!

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  5. I think more parents need to be observers and then deal with their unruly children at home. I went to school in the 1950's and 1960's and none of this behavior would have been tolerated

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    1. They actually allow (in some cases encourage) parents to come in and observe their child in class. I wish more parents would take advantage of that.

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  6. My favorite thing about my job is being alone. Ha! As a former teacher, I know that sounds harsh. I did love my job back then, but it's nice to not have to deal with so much pressure and crazy kids all day!

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  7. Is my job parenting or writing? I guess both. The best part of writing is getting lost in the creative process and dreaming up fantastic stories. The best part of parenting? When the little ones do something unexpectedly wonderful like help one another after fighting all day.

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  8. Sounds like some good classes. I bet having an extra teacher around helps a lot.

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  9. It would be good to see how other teachers teach. You can pick up a lot then I think. I love helping people and when I give them insight about their rights and ease their fears a bit, I feel good

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  10. I think children should show respect to adults no matter what position they're in. As a kid, I remember thinking, "Oh, yay, a substitute means we don't have to work as hard!" It was mostly that I knew we could have a lazy day!

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    1. It worries me when kids cheer when they see me. I figure I'm in for it. Not always the case, but always the worry.

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  11. What a coincidence... I got to team librarian today. Only because a class of high maintenance 1st graders came in. My favorite thing about my job is the variety and being able to help people in small ways.

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  12. Well I'm no longer in the work force, but I do pick up a bit of freelance now and then. The best part of that is being able to work from home in my shorts or PJ's and making my own work hours.

    I can see how it would be a learning experience to observe another teacher run her classroom.

    Sunni
    http://sunni-survivinglife.blogspot.com/

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    Replies
    1. That's the best part about writing. No dress code!

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  13. State testing takes a week?!!

    You can find me here:
    ClarabelleRant

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    1. It used to have a dedicated week. That grew to two. Now it takes a month, but each class has a different day or two assigned for it, so not all students are testing at the same time.

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  14. I think it would be valuable for teachers to observe other teachers from time to time.

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  15. My mom was a teacher's assistant and when I was a kid she brought me to Bring Your Kid to Work Day. I loved seeing the older kids (by one year) and seeing my mom helping them. I was very proud of her. :)

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  16. No team writing for me! Team teaching sounds fun.

    Yvonne

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    Replies
    1. It's great...when you're not the one in charge.

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  17. One of my favourite things at my work are my colleagues. They definitely help me get through the day. I also like that we've got a bit of healthy competition going on, that helps to keep things fun. ;-)

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