Monday 11/25
No one did the assignments. I'm a bit flabbergasted. So, unfortunately, we had to have a discussion this morning about the expectations of college. I think this is going to make me rethink my teaching style. It's been a good wake-up call, especially in terms of realizing that I need to be more of a leader than a "casual professor." I think I need to spend time classifying and identifying my role as an instructor and the way that I want to play that role in the classroom. We've been learning so much about the different ways of approaching that role as a teacher, but I think it didn't really occur to me that I hadn't really taken it into my own approach until today.
Several of my students mentioned things like this in their Unit 3 reflections, about my role and performance as an instructor:
Connor S. - You are an amazing instructor and I am very grateful for everything you offer to us in and outside of class. However, I feel as if you are too lenient and let too many things slide by. I know I am not the best of students either by not completing all assignments and I'm glad that we are offered these courtesies, but I don't think other professors would allow or be okay with our behavior. (I say this as not to be mean or disrespect you, but I thought it should be said). If you were a slight bit more strict I think it would put us into the mindset to be better students and help us perform better for later classes that we take with not as nice professors. Again I am very appreciative of the courtesies you give us, but this might help us in the longer run.
Connor's feedback was really informative, and I think it will help me draw a line between "giving courtesies" and being too soft. It was also great to hear that my students needed me to be more strict when I had been previously afraid or too nervous to be that way.
Reegan W.'s feedback was similarly helpful: Personally I think you are too easy on us sometimes which causes people to take advantage. I think you are an amazing teacher just sometimes to much slack is cut.
Of course, not all of them were bad/negative. Some of them noted my improvement, which was cool to see. This is the one I'm talking about, from Katelynn W.:
Unit 2 was very confusing in your way of explaining how to analyze different things, but as Unit 3 came around, you explained it soooooo much better and made things a lot clearer. It was not Unit 3 that was confusing, it was more Unit 2.
I definitely knew that something went hinky with Unit 2, but being notified that I had done much better in Unit 3 was really great to hear. Now I feel more prepared on how to change myself. I think, perhaps, my questions and worries about my effectiveness have been soothed or answered, at least a little bit.
Knowing that my students require or want more authority in my voice is really important to hear. Also, knowing that they feel free to give me this feedback tells me that I have established the type of reciprocal communication and liberation from the silence that I discuss A LOT in my final reflection for teaching composition. I think, with this knowledge, I can feel enabled to provide more structure and be firmer in my ideas for organizing our class. I mean, of course, I have been planning our days and choosing what we would do, but I often created options and let them choose. I also was flimsy on hard dates for finishing readings or assignments, and often moved things around to situate my students. Being firm will be something that I am going to establish for myself as I continue to better myself and look to achieve my full potential, not only as an instructor but as a facilitator and participant of exploratory liberation in the classroom.
Wednesday 11/27 & Friday 11/29 --- NO CLASS; THANKSGIVING BREAK.
No one did the assignments. I'm a bit flabbergasted. So, unfortunately, we had to have a discussion this morning about the expectations of college. I think this is going to make me rethink my teaching style. It's been a good wake-up call, especially in terms of realizing that I need to be more of a leader than a "casual professor." I think I need to spend time classifying and identifying my role as an instructor and the way that I want to play that role in the classroom. We've been learning so much about the different ways of approaching that role as a teacher, but I think it didn't really occur to me that I hadn't really taken it into my own approach until today.
Several of my students mentioned things like this in their Unit 3 reflections, about my role and performance as an instructor:
Connor S. - You are an amazing instructor and I am very grateful for everything you offer to us in and outside of class. However, I feel as if you are too lenient and let too many things slide by. I know I am not the best of students either by not completing all assignments and I'm glad that we are offered these courtesies, but I don't think other professors would allow or be okay with our behavior. (I say this as not to be mean or disrespect you, but I thought it should be said). If you were a slight bit more strict I think it would put us into the mindset to be better students and help us perform better for later classes that we take with not as nice professors. Again I am very appreciative of the courtesies you give us, but this might help us in the longer run.
Connor's feedback was really informative, and I think it will help me draw a line between "giving courtesies" and being too soft. It was also great to hear that my students needed me to be more strict when I had been previously afraid or too nervous to be that way.
Reegan W.'s feedback was similarly helpful: Personally I think you are too easy on us sometimes which causes people to take advantage. I think you are an amazing teacher just sometimes to much slack is cut.
Of course, not all of them were bad/negative. Some of them noted my improvement, which was cool to see. This is the one I'm talking about, from Katelynn W.:
Unit 2 was very confusing in your way of explaining how to analyze different things, but as Unit 3 came around, you explained it soooooo much better and made things a lot clearer. It was not Unit 3 that was confusing, it was more Unit 2.
I definitely knew that something went hinky with Unit 2, but being notified that I had done much better in Unit 3 was really great to hear. Now I feel more prepared on how to change myself. I think, perhaps, my questions and worries about my effectiveness have been soothed or answered, at least a little bit.
Knowing that my students require or want more authority in my voice is really important to hear. Also, knowing that they feel free to give me this feedback tells me that I have established the type of reciprocal communication and liberation from the silence that I discuss A LOT in my final reflection for teaching composition. I think, with this knowledge, I can feel enabled to provide more structure and be firmer in my ideas for organizing our class. I mean, of course, I have been planning our days and choosing what we would do, but I often created options and let them choose. I also was flimsy on hard dates for finishing readings or assignments, and often moved things around to situate my students. Being firm will be something that I am going to establish for myself as I continue to better myself and look to achieve my full potential, not only as an instructor but as a facilitator and participant of exploratory liberation in the classroom.
Wednesday 11/27 & Friday 11/29 --- NO CLASS; THANKSGIVING BREAK.
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