Final Weeks (Oct 29 - Nov 2, Nov 5 - 7)

The final weeks of my student teaching experience were focused on wrapping up the unit. Collection of rough drafts and final papers, scheduling presentations, and navigating the unexpected (as always!).

I was disappointed at the number of papers that I received. Many either didn't turn in the final draft or turned it in without references (no credit). I got a little down about this, until my mentor informed me that this does happen, that some students (especially sophomores) will end up responding well to the kind of pressure this lack of points will put on them. Also, the end of year exhibition assessment is worth as much as the rest of the course, so all the students will have ample opportunity to show their learning and pass the course.

This being the last two weeks of the experience did not prevent new students from entering the course. We had one student come back for two days from an absence of three weeks, then disappear again. We added three students to the class in the last two weeks. One of which we were able to design an alternative assessment based on learning from the presentations. Another was once the boyfriend of a girl also in our class. He apparently had moved back up from 'California' (read: Mexico) to be with her, only to break up with her on arrival and the day of her presentation and start talking to other girls. She got through her presentation well, but we had to do a little hallway counseling once she was done. Actually, she was remarkably mature about the entire situation, but it certainly brought some unexpected drama to the room. The last new addition showed up on my last day as the students and my mentor threw a surprise good-bye party for me. I tried to get her involved in festivities and to have some of our more outgoing students talk to her; hopefully she'll slide in well.

New additions are yet another reason for smaller chunking, the biggest learning I've gained from the quarter. The alternative assessments should be effective to get them into the course seamlessly, but smaller assignments might have made this even easier. If this is a trend that continues throughout the year, however, I can see how moving mid-school year can make for incredible difficulty navigating our public school system.

Also, the presentations showed much more learning than the papers did, partially because many were not received. I understand that presentations are not good representations of individual learning, but I can't help but think that perhaps a long writing assignment might not have been better for later in the course. Too much too fast, or high expectations set early? I suppose this will vary wildly depending on each and every class, and that with time I'll be able to get a good feel for where the class is early on and to design preassessments that can guide me even better.

It was difficult to leave Clover Park, and I'm glad I don't have to entirely. I'll be working as a 'consultant' when I return from my Thanksgiving break. In other words, I'll be grading papers and assisting my mentor behind the scenes in exchange for a small hourly wage and some face time with the students I came to care so much for. And I'll still wear a shirt and tie everyday.