I've been conducting the first observations of this semester's teacher candidates, this week and next. For this time around, I have 13 college seniors who are experiencing their professional semester. After observing professional educators and helping them teach, these seniors are finally taking over aspects of their classrooms in local public schools in Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. In my initial observations, I have noticed some patterns that have occurred in multiple classrooms, and I'm hoping my suggestions have not fallen on deaf ears. I also hope to see improvement when I return in a few weeks. Here are my first three takeaways, all seeming to be related to each other.
- More energy: Teacher candidates seem to be timid - too nervous to let loose. This is likely due to being in a classroom with other adults (teachers, paraprofessionals, teacher assistants, principals, secretaries, and one student teacher supervisor). It's important that you feel comfortable enough with students to be yourself. In doing so, you will shed your inhibitions and radiate energy with your students. Those kids aren't going to sit still for long with deadpan delivery. Sometimes you need to get up and move, hop around with excitement for the learning and instill that same joy with your students. Don't be afraid to cut loose with them, but balance these things with control and not wild abandon.
- Vocal variation: Along the same lines, a monotone voice or a voice in which there is no volume variation does little to teach in an elementary classroom. A teacher must do more than just pronounce words correctly. Sometimes a quieter voice can force students to listen with more fidelity. A suddenly louder voice can grab some attention. A change in the rate of delivery can keep the class moving forward. These things may not have been presented in your teacher education program in college, but they are all tools used by public speakers and actors to bring material to life, and a teacher is all of these things. You voice is a powerful tool. It can draw forth great emotions from the audience, and it can grab and maintain an audience's attention, even to the point that they sit on the edges of their seats, anticipating where you are going next.
- Firmness: We all want to be positive. We all want to be friendly. We all want to be liked. We all want to be popular. And for some reason, we have it in our heads that being a firm disciplinarian needs to be demonstrated. Again, we need to feel comfortable enough to be honest with kids. Generally speaking, your students don't want to exist in a classroom with unruly students around them. They want structure; they do not want chaos. And it's the teacher's job to maintain order. Everyone will appreciate that classroom with positive, constructive activity. Your voice is key to keeping everything in order. If your voice is monotonous, pupils can become bored. If you are too sing-songy and lovey-dovey, they can get the wrong idea. You are not one of them! You can still be well-liked and popular with your students when they understand that you have authority, and sometimes you just need to demand that respect.
