Reading through the pages assigned to assist us in the crafting of these last two reflections, I was initially confused. I didn't see how my feedback could be translated in terms of these tactics since I'm so used to the uniform paper or project in framing my field experience observations. So, I had to try to fit this new information into my mind in a way that made sense for me. So, I looked to my English background. As a Creative Writing and Education major I found the most sensical and intriguing section of this writing to be the ones about metaphor and narratives. After some thought, I can see how, if explained thoroughly, an educator could benefit from reviewing a fellow teachers's feedback through a metaphorical lens. This is what I tried to do in the following post...I hope it makes sense to you too:
A teacher's mind is their tool kit. Some are shiny and brand new, never been used and ready for construction. Others have had time to age...rust. They might squeak when trying to twist bolts or clank when hammering in a nail, but they work just the same. They have seen more, done more, cranked more, and clattered more than all their polished counterparts. And although they bare an orange, flaky crust, they do not let this affect their use; in fact, they age like fine wine. Only getting better with time. This teacher's mind is her tool kit. She keeps on building.
So I guess that was more of a poem than a simple metaphor.. I blame the English major in me. If you did not pick up on it, there is a correlation between this metaphor of an old tool box to one of my field experience teachers, or rather one aspect of my observation in her "Language Arts through ESOL" course. Ms. Massot was her name and she has been teaching at Coral Gables Senior High for many, many years. More specifically she has worked with English Language learners for many, many years. This shaped her methodologies and attitude in the classroom and was the aspect of her teaching that resonated with me the most.
She would often say, "use me," in reference to defining new vocabulary and understanding confusing sentences or concepts. This is how I got the idea for a tool box. It symbolizes her wealth of knowledge, which is richer and more expansive than a younger teacher would have simply because of their lack of experience. I even personified the tools themselves to resemble the parts of Ms. Massot that work to produce results, namely learning, in her classroom.
By parts I mean her personal attributes. Her loudness, expressiveness, passion, and dedication were all something I had previously viewed as traits found mostly within younger teachers. But Ms. Massot proved me wrong. She held tightly to these tools and let them develop from year to year. I found, as did she, that these were timeless tools that would better facilitate her English language learning students' receptiveness and engagement in the classroom. She used everything in her power and in her mind to make herself available to these kids and make it known that all 23 of them were there for one purpose: to learn. Ms. Massot's mind was not only her, but her students's tool kit.
No comments:
Post a Comment