Friday, August 17, 2007

Lesson plans are getting crowded!

I'm going to school to be a teacher. I've been out of college for thirty years now, which some insensitive boob from the alumni associate reminded me of over the phone tonight, but now I've decided to go back and get a degree that will let me teach in secondary education. I've got a year's worth of classes under my belt and I've discovered lesson plan bloat.

I've had classes on lesson planning. I got that.

Then I had a class on Content Area Reading (CAR). In this class I learned that in addition to content area objectives, I should be spending a portion of each class working on reading, so I need some reading objectives in that lesson plan.

Nobody would admit it, but this is basically because elementary education has turned into a big day care center that doesn't teach kids to read because it could hurt their self-esteem. OK, that's a bit if a generalization, but when I was a kid, I learned to read starting in first grade with Dick and Jane, and by junior high I could handle it. Not anymore.

Now I have a class on English Language Learners (ELL). In this class, I'm learning that a significant percentage of my students won't speak English, in addition to not reading. I have to include language objectives in my lesson plans now. How I'm going to teach someone who can't speak English to read, write, and speak English, while I try to teach them science, will be interesting. I'm sure they'll teach me how to do that before I get my degree. OK, not really sure. More like hopeful.

So far, I have to include content area objectives, reading objectives, and language objectives in my lesson plans. I also have to list the state standards I'm meeting for content area, reading, and language. These lesson plans are getting crowded and I still have over a year of school to go. I can't wait to see what additional objectives and standards they'll be shoehorning in before that year's up :)

Jerry

1 comment:

Ms. Ramirez said...

Don't worry, You'll LOVE teaching :-)
It is not an easy job, as everyone think, but one thing is sure...it is very rewarding!!
Good Luck!