End of Semester Teaching Metaphor...Serving as a Lifejacket

After my 488 classroom experience I still see myself serving as a lifejacket while teaching, however, my understanding of this position has changed and grown. The amount of support and assistance I provided my students with kept them afloat during many lessons. At points some students required more assistance and thus relied upon this device more. It was often necessary for me to take someone aside and assess what they were not understanding and how I could offer them extra support.

However, I was not the only person that served as a lifejacket. I quickly learned that my students would serve as lifejackets for one another. Because I could not be in multiple places at the same time it was often necessary for students to lend their support to their classmates or serve as lifejackets to them. Not only did this help me, but it also aided both of them. One gained a greater understanding through taking the time to explain something to another and the other was provided with a new explanation or way of thinking about the piece of information. Thus, I was not the only lifejacket in the classroom.

In addition, I found that the students were not the only people that needed the extra support that a lifejacket may provide. At times I felt like I needed this same lifejacket. During some lessons I looked towards my teaching partner for extra support because I knew I could not do it all on my own. It was also necessary for me to be “saved” by my supervising teacher when learning how to tackle disciple problems throughout the classroom and what the best teaching approaches were. At the beginning of the semester I went into teaching thinking that I would be the one holding everyone afloat, however, I ended the semester with a greater understanding of a lifejacket and the number and range of people it serves. Even as a teacher I am going to need extra support, without this I will not be able to do everything on my own. This support will not only come from my co-workers but also my students. I will be serving my students, but at points they will also need to serve me.