I have a question:
Do you think that J/I teacher should teach all subjects or only those they have studied at university or those they feel comfortable with? Do you think that the comfort level and knowledge of a teacher in a subject area they are teaching affects students' overall performance?
For example, I think that as much as I try, I will never be able to teach music as that is not my strength at ALL! How are students supposed to learn from me? Don't get me wrong, I love music and I couldn't live without it, but my loving it and being competent to teach the same are two COMPLETELY different things. Please help me, console me and more importantly, TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!
THANK YOU!
Ana K.
(aka MayaTheBee)
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4 comments:
Ana,
I think that in a perfect world, every teacher would be able to teach what they love and in doing so will be able to provide their students with an excellent educational experience. However, this is not always the case...every school is different and has different needs. You may be placed in a subject that you may not have experience, but my best advice to you is to treat it as a learning expereince and do the best that you can...you never know, you might turn out to be an excellent music teacher!! Don't be scared of the unknown or places untraveled because it is those places that will push you out of your comfort zone and improve your skills as a teacher. I believe that to teach is a skill and if you can teach well, you can teach any subject regardless of your prior expereince. Good luck!!! I'm sure you will be great!
Erica
I have to agree with Ana and Erica. Because the JI curriculum is more specialized than PJ, consequently it requires a more specialized skill set. The classroom experiences of both students and teachers will be enhanced when teachers can teach to their strengths.
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Although I haven't yet been placed in an intermediate class I would like to believe that, with a little research and enthusiasm, we can teach any subject. For example, I'm in a grade 5 class and (sadly) know very little about our government system - not enough to confidently teach the topic but I think I could do some research (and maybe get my daughter to help me) and hopefully I could pull the unit together. We'd all be learning together! As for singing... I'm afraid no amount of research or enthusiasm will be able to help me but maybe I could play the triangle. :)
We really should be highly competent in every subject we teach. Our students deserve nothing less. This may mean lots of professional development. Children deserve highly skilled, highly knowledgable teachers.
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