Chapter 9 - When Things Go Wrong

Chapter 9 probably could have been renamed, "Reality Check" because we as students are simply watching teachers with decades of experience with handling the issues discussed in the chapter. Do I think that the students in my classroom are going to act out and cut up and try to get under my skin, absolutely. I would almost be disappointed if they did not. I look at them harassing and trying to get to me as not an authority challenge, but more of a 'can you step up and show us something more' challenge. Can I rise to meet their challenge, or even better, can I overcome that challenge and get them to learn, much like the math teacher at the end of the chapter. So many things for us now are huge question marks. How will we handle this, how do we balance the compassion with being confused for a chump, how do we draw the students into our lessons and make them WANT to learn, instead of trying to make them learn. As with the previous chapters this one has keen insight into what these students were thinking and trying with the new teachers. I think the veteran teachers will look at it almost as a rite of passage, hazing of the newest member of the society that is educators.

I learned in this chapter that no matter what my background is, where I may have taught before, and what subjects I may be passionate about; I am going to more than likely fall flat on my face a few times. Confucius said, "Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall", so as we approach the time when we will spread our wings ever so slightly more in the student teaching experience it is important to remember those words. Do I plan on falling flat on my face, either literally or figuratively, no, but I do know that any time that I do I have to pick myself up, dust off the dirt, and make sure I do not make the same mistake twice.