9th Day of Student Teaching

On Friday when I taught I decided I needed to change my lesson a bit to be able to catch the student's attention. I was supposed to teach about the fashion cycle and fashion details. I decided that I was going to bring in samples of clothing to fit into each category I was talking about. I packed up a box of mine and Scott's clothes for examples. I also decided I needed to talk about things that they would relate to. I also brought some candy just in case I needed some extra motivation. Anyways... I got to class and I set everything up. I talked to all of the students trying to start up conversation. When I was starting they were talking and I didn't have their attention. I decided I needed to say something and lay down my expectations. I said, "I need your attention up here. There are times when it's my turn to talk and then when it's your turn to talk. Right now it is my time, soon it will be yours. I'm your teacher right now and I expect to receive the respect that you would give to any other teacher." They quieted right down and were very pleasant the rest of the period. They seemed to enjoy my class and participated. I didn't have any troubles that day. It just goes to show that when you notice things aren't working, you make a change and things will get better. I'm learning a lot student teaching and for the first time I really felt like a teacher and it was fun!