I arrived at LAGCC at 8:30 AM on Wednesday May 19th surprisingly calm. I was 15 minutes early for my scheduled meeting with Wynne F., my team teacher as well as classmate from the Masters in Language & Literacy program, so I decided to get tea and a bagel from the breakfast cart outside since I did not have any breakfast. Knowing Wynne from class made the process less nerve racking. I knew she was an excellent classmate and would exemplify the same gregarious personality she had in class. From our previous meeting, I knew the routine would be to arrive at 8:45 AM so we could finalize any questions, concerns, or changes to the lesson (Wynne had emailed the lesson plan to me on Monday so I had ample time to review the material and prepare any final questions). While waiting for my breakfast, I thought about what the 30-minute meeting would be like: Would it be formal or informal, would we have enough time to review all my questions, were there any changes to the lesson plan, and so on. I was also concerned with the content of the course. I had skimmed a GED book prior to the start of the internship but I this course would be the “CYAP GED Bridge to Health.” My moms a Registered Nurse and Nurse Practitioner, but I know little about health, biology and the like. I was a little concerned with how that would be conveyed in the course. As I walked up the stairs to her office, I also began to think about the fact that an entire week had already passed. I did not have the opportunity to meet with the students at the start of the course. Would that impact how they viewed me in the class as an authority figure? Would they view me as a once per week intruder?
When I arrived at Wynne’s office she was welcoming and all my concerns were lessened. I felt it would be okay. We sat down at talked about the lesson for the day. It would include all the climate changed related readings she had sent to me as well as a math triangle icebreaker. We talked some more about the classroom demographics. She said the group was not as mature as her previous adult education classed, some were fresh out of high school and did not value the program as the older students did because of this. While others were very serious because they were taking time from work and family to attend the program. We were so involved in the conversation that we didn’t realize it was already 9:00 AM. Time to make it up stairs to meet the class. The moment of truth!
I'm thrilled to work with you this semester. I hope some of your desired goals will be realized in the next 8 weeks or so, and that our students will maximize the benefits of your presence in class.
ReplyDeleteThis is a larger class than we often have, so another teacher in the room will be a great help.
The content of this course is pretty extensive, but not highly technical...We are trying to accomplish several things at once here: obviously, we want students to earn the GED, but we also want them to formulate a plan for what lies beyond.
ReplyDeleteTo that end, shaping our course as an investigation into the field of health care provides a lens for career exploration. I am not a healthcare practitioner, so I am not teaching methodology, but I can help students inquire into the ethical quandaries, professional responsibilities and body of knowledge that are components of careers in this field.