Cinder...EDSa

This activity really helped me to better understand the reasoning behind breaking a class up into smaller groups, and the importance of teamwork. It was pretty difficult, and a little awkward at first to jump right into being compatible with other people (and on the first day of class, no less!) before we really knew each other. We were barely learning names and already working on a mission together. I really liked how there were two (well more even) purposes being served-us being creative with responding to our assignment's instructions, and us building friendships. I think group projects are the way to go. I know that often times there is the cliche "well what about.." situation someone raises about one slack student mooching off the student that will carry everyone else's wait and do it all themselves. With the exception of this scenario, group work really does allow people to open up that otherwise wouldn't. Students have a way of encouraging (or pressuring) each other like their teachers really can't.
I believe that I could be in a class sitting right beside a student all year, but never know them as well as if I worked on one group project with them.
I remember how much this activity stretched me. Believe it or not, I am fairly shy. In high school, I would not regularly speak in classes, and I would not go out of my way to volunteer to be leaders in things. However, when duty calls, I do step up to the plate. I feel like that is what happened with this activity a little bit. When we were distributing roles, we decided we needed a narrator for our story. No one else wanted to do it, so I volunteered to. This was very much out of my comfort zone, and in my ideal situation, someone else would have wanted to do it instead of me being willing, but not desiring to. I think it was a good experience though because a lot of those same elements that were involved in narrating, will come back in teaching. There will be a basic guideline or material base (the course curriculum, the Cinderella plotline) to follow. I almost certainly will not have cue cards or a teleprompter screen telling me exactly the perfect words to say (which I didn't in Cinderella even). I will be doing good to get one time of practicing in, but basically it's like improvising and "winging it". I struggle with saying that because that isn't to imply that I won't be prepared and won't know what's going on or what I'm teaching in my classroom. But it is saying that in life, things come up. I need to really know my curriculum, but also really know my students so that in those moments to come (because they will come), I can be flexible and spontaneous enough to do something-whether it's creating an activity or teaching a lesson-without overthinking about it (and worrying), or shying away from the responsibility. I am a big worrier. I get nervous about a lot of things. In the past when I have worked with kids, whether teaching VBS or teaching high school small groups at a retreat, I am afraid of the unexpected. I like to have my little schedule written on an index card right beside me, in case I forget and need to refer to it. My heart beats fast, I bet my hands clam up, I talk faster, and I feel like I'm on the edge of my proverbial seat. Even though I am comfortable with the IDEA of teaching a group, I am not comfortable WHILE doing it. This makes me think that since it's not automatically natural, maybe I am not really meant to be a teacher, but that's another topic for another post!

Also, no child is a puppet, and I shouldn't teach like they are!