Miss Inefficient - That's Me!
Miss Inefficient - That's Me!
Yes, we are in week 6 and what is on my mind tonight - besides persistent, radiating neck pain - is my FPF lesson plan. Some of our class completed their observed lesson a while ago. I in my incredible inefficiency finally completed my FPF lesson plan on Monday. I completely revised this thing no less than three times.
Now, on the eve of completing my supervised lesson I am sick of my lesson and of myself. I am fairly sure that no one else in our class has struggled with lesson plan and unit plan writing to the extent that I have.
Perhaps a big part of my issue - besides my lack of confidence and lack of attention span - is that I don't feel comfortable leaning on my mentor and professional resources more. I don't know how to ask for help.
So here I am, the night before my lesson figuring out what I need to print. But I did pick up everything that I need for my hands on activity...
Colleen, it can be so challenging not to get sucked down the rabbit hole of lesson planning. I often feel I lose days- which as you know is not time we can afford- to it. I do have to tell you that the refrain I have been playing in my brain non-stop is yours, Keep It Simple; it will travel with me forever now. Sometimes I think it is just the format and design of how we have to plan for our classes at GSC that makes it feel this way. Coupled with different district and building requirements it all feels futile and overwhelming. You are going to do great tomorrow. And your students will have fun.
ReplyDeleteJust know confidence in teaching comes from experience. Experience can be trying- and even painful occasionally- but that confidence will come. I will be thinking of you tomorrow and look forward to hearing how it went. You got this!
Colleen,
ReplyDeleteI can completely understand that feeling of defeat. I feel like I am just faking it til I make it this semester.
Asking for help can be so hard though, and I get that. I hate asking for help, I never used to and it really hurt me academically in the past. I have found that I can't get through this teaching program without asking for help and support, luckily I have a very supportive group of mentors. The first thing I do is set up a meeting with them in the beginning of the semester to go over dates of important assignments and anything I will need from them (observations, discussions with them for assignments, help brainstorming lesson plans). Once this happens, we have another meeting a bit later on to confirm dates for observations and talk about ideas for the lessons I'll be doing. This has made my life so much easier, and it helps all of us to be on the same page (especially because I procrastinate and tend to forget to remind people of things I need from them until the last second).
Maybe something like this will help you, or even just emailing back and forth first instead of doing a meeting. Just find what works best for you, we're all in this together!
Tate
Colleen,
ReplyDeleteI can definitely tell you that you are not the only one who is experiencing these things and feeling this way because I have resonated with everything you wrote in this blog post. I was so stressed all last week about completing my first lesson and then ended up having to reschedule it for this next week.
I hope your lesson went well!
Jordyn
Colleen, I always enjoy reading your posts!
ReplyDelete