Shaundalyn Elliott's Diary
The First 180 Days

Shaundalyn's Diary: Follow Your Heart!

Week 22

At the end of last week, you might remember, I decided to alter my lesson plans to include a review of the eight parts of speech. My decision was based largely on one student's answer to a question about whether people were classified as nouns or verbs. The student responded that people are verbs. Not wanting to embarrass her, I reworded the question so she could more easily choose the correct answer. The incident, however, upset me and prompted me to re-analyze my teaching style. It also made me even more painfully aware of the academic deficiencies of some of my students.

In college, I learned the following "truths": In the United States, most children are enrolled in a nursery school or Head Start program by age four. At five, they start kindergarten, where, using their five senses, they acquire the fundamentals of education. As the children progress through the elementary grades, their academic abilities are developed further. By the time they reach middle school, students are open to a variety of experiences essential for social and academic growth and lessons become more challenging.

I think what I was taught is pretty typical of what's being taught in teacher education programs at most universities. What teaching has taught me, however, is that students rarely progress in such a straightforward manner.

I feel very strongly about what prospective teachers are being taught -- or not taught -- in college classrooms. They should receive training so as first-year teachers, like myself, they can deal with the students and the situations we actually face in the classroom. In the case of the student who thought people were verbs, for example, on one hand, I feel responsible for my student's lack of knowledge. On the other hand, I'm tired of teachers being blamed for a student's lack of knowledge or (in this case) a student's lack of initiative to learn.

Last week's experience plunged me from my educational ivory tower into the academic reality dungeon -- a metaphor that symbolizes a first-year teacher's frustrations when dealing with students who lack the proper academic base. Is there no way to prepare first-year teachers for what awaits them in the classroom? Do we each have to endure the same reality check? Can't universities provide aspiring educators with an accurate picture of the children they'll teach? I am well aware that there might never be an answer to those questions, but I feel compelled to ask them.

Like most teachers, my students are the apples of my eye. That's why I'm so driven to help other beginning teachers prepare for what awaits them when they first stand in front of a class. I would tell them something I learned only recently: "As a college student, you are not taught to follow your heart. You cannot be taught instinct or intuition. If you're a good teacher, however, those traits will develop. When they do, they'll improve your understanding of your students -- and help you improve your students' academic standing as well."

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Shaundalyn Elliot
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