These past couple of weeks back in my main placement have been a little rough. I've found my energy being sucked right out of me as the students constantly blurted out random thoughts and kids running rampant throughout the classroom. I began to constantly watch the clock as my patience wore thinner and thinner by the minute. I think my cooperating teacher was feeling the same stress because she decided to put me in charge for 45 mins while she disappeared to who-knows-where.
Sometime I wonder if I can really handle the stress that comes with teaching, at least in 1st grade.
I'm using these stressful experiences to really think critically about how things can be improved. While it may be difficult to actually try and implement some of the things I've been thinking about since it isn't actually my classroom, it is good practice for when I do have my own class. My cooperating teacher is all about positive reinforcement, which I love. However, I've realized that positive reinforcement alone doesn't work with everyone. There are some students who seem to need more firm approach and without it, are prone to test how much they can get away with.
While I think its important that I figure out my own style and "teacher voice" to use, I must also be very flexible to change my style depending on the students that I have. Also, when things aren't going very well in the classroom, I need to not get frustrated and rather approach the situation with a positive attitude of trying to figure out what I can be doing better.
It sounds like you experienced some of the same things in your 1st grade main placement that I saw in my 1st grade dyad placement. 1st graders do need more and constant direction than, say, 3rd graders. I saw my cooperating teacher also struggle to maintain composure a couple times. We talked about it too. She said this particular group was more active than years past, but they were also more creative and they really learned quickly. I saw it as a situation where these are the kids that need the most from their teacher and my job is to give them everything they need.
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