I can't believe that the first week of the MAC program is already over. This year will fly by before I even know it. It's weird being the student that's from out of state this time. Moving to Ann Arbor from Chicago is probably a good experience for me, but it's still challenging to live somewhere new when you don't really know anyone. Everyone in the program have been so nice and helpful though so I'm not too worried :)
There have been a lot of interesting discussion about a variety of educational topics...my favorite discussion thus far has been the reading by Lampert. I had not previously thought about all the subconscious thoughts that an experienced teacher has while teaching - moving through all the standards and benchmarks, keeping in mind gender, racial differences, as well as how to educate students to be effective problem solvers. It was wonderful, yet scary to read that experience.
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Tiffany, you will learn to love Ann Arbor! I know how difficult it can be moving to a new city, full of unfamiliar people. If you ever have questions about the area, or just need a friend to talk to, I'm here for ya! I did my undergrad at UofM, and while I can't promise to be an expert on all things Ann Arbor, I will do my best to answer any questions you can throw at me! :)
ReplyDeleteI also really connected with the Lampert article. I think that in an effort to become an effective teacher (and once we have enough classroom management skills to focus on other things), it will become natural to question the same type of things that Lampert does. So my worry isn't whether or not I'll be aware of these things, but whether I'll be able to think on my feet and answer these questions quickly and effectively.
ReplyDeleteI also question how I can improve the necessary skills to handle the situations Lampert discusses. Maybe this is where having a mentor in your school could come in?
I feel the same with with your post Tiffany! I am new to Ann Arbor as well, but so far I have found it wonderful, and the people in the city have been so nice, and the people in the program are beyond AWESOME! (ps. love walking/biking to school with you!)
ReplyDeleteAnd I too, love the Lampbert article, I think i might carry it around as a safety blanket once I get into the classroom! :)
Interesting post, Tiffany, that has led to an intriguing discussion. I think that Lauren is right to raise the possibility of making use of your mentor in this connection, though one thing that will vary across the group is the extent to which your mentors are able to talk about things they do so naturally as to appear instinctual. For some it will be very natural, while others will really struggle with this. This isn't a bad thing, as it can lead sometimes to surreal conversations wherein you all notice your mentors doing things that lead them to almost have to pause to say "I did *that*?"
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