Well, today's class goes in the win column, I think. My critical thinking piece hung together pretty well, and the class responded well to Otis and her whole body. Learning, that is. Just one more class tomorrow, and the Express pulls into the station. Next week, the whole dang switchyard comes to life.In that vein, I came to something of a realization today: I am a classroom teacher. No, that's not a tautology or a redundancy or a superfluous statement. In the same way that some lawyers are courtroom lawyers, and don't resonate with much else associated with the practice of law, I find my eudaimonia in the classroom. Ed theory, course design, planning, research, publication, conferencing, professional development: none of those mean much to me personally, although I recognize their importance to the field, and, indirectly, to students. I don't want to adminstrate or even chair; I don't want to be dean or director. Just give me a course description, give me a room, give me some students, and let me go.
Intarweb referral of the day: Here, via Otis, via The Mountain Five-twenty Funny, via New Zealand, are Flight of The Conchords, a faux-folk group with (as Johnny Carson used to say) some funny, funny stuff. The link goes to the page on the site with downloads; Otis in particular likes Think About It, Think Think About It (she was laughing and falling off her chair when I watched her listen to it for the second time). I think they're damned clever, too.
2 comments:
Walter,
I would agree with you, you are indeed a classroom teacher. Watching you work your magic on the room is a treat.
Watching Courtney get 53 students to shake out their stress and then stand on and under tables is hilarious.
All in all I think you shifted a few paradigms today.
Myself, I am an online teacher, my comfort zone is being behind my keyboard......yet I will continue to work on the face to face gig.
I do enjoy the curriculm planning bit though, especially when doing it in collaboration. Perhaps between the three of us there is the full package faculty member.
I love teaching, but I love teaching groups. Unfortunately, most of my teaching is not groups. First this was due to my Americanness, which translated to must-not-be-seen-hanging-round-the-school-as-I'm-not-here-legallyness, and now because of my choice of timetable: days do not generate many groups, but they do provide LOTS OF ONE-TO-ONES. Can't do my stuff with the one-to-ones! Still, it beats working until 10 p.m.
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