Professional Readings

Professional Readings

Building A Good Relationship With Your Cooperating Teachers

(Student-Teacher Narrative)

Rosalind Suzman- Principal 1

Minanga Elementary School

Aparri South District, Cagayan

The author addresses a significant reminder for pre-service teachers or practice teachers. She resorts that teaching is about building relationships with your cooperating teacher and the students in the class. She suggests that in order for a student-teacher to have a relationship with his/her CT, he/she should than take an extra-effort on taking a time talking to him/her, and informing them on how well you and your students are doing in the class. And because through this manner you will be able to gain his/her trust and respect. And it would let him/her know that you are taking your job, as a practice teacher, seriously.

The author then narrated how she gained the trust of her CT and of her students as well. And so, she had the help of the teacher. She had a help from her CT on how to gain courage to stand right in front of the class, which was her biggest fear.

Also, the author suggests that in order to build good relationship with your CT, you must spend time talking about your lesson plans, how the students are performing, what the things students have to work on are and who among the students should receive more help than the others.  This act would let you CT see that you have a great deal of interest.

Moreover, the author resorts that, if you want to build a relationship among your student, learning their first names would contribute much on that. However, she is reminding us not to get too friendly with the students since to avoid too much familiarity. And she reminds us that it is better to build social relationships with the students and cooperating teacher before considering how and what t to teach. She added that it is important to keep in-touched with your CT especially when things are not doing so well.

Moreover, the author says that reading  pre-teaching manuals is a good help because it has answers to all ”frequently-asked-questions” of practice teachers. She also emphasized that student-teachers must always accept constructive criticisms, and not to become upset or hostile the critic teachers.

Source: The Teachers’ Magazine

            The Philippine Journal of Education VOL. LXXXV, No. 5,

Oct. 2006, SIBS Publishing

Reference: Darlene Anderson and Michelle Marchant,  “Behaviorism Works in Special Education”, 2010, Instruction section of Issues and Trends in Special Education: Identification, Assessment, and Instruction.

Journals of Practice Teaching

Daily Journal

OBSEVATION WEEK

DAY 1

This day was the start of our milestone towards being a teacher- immersed in a real-life classroom setting.

Our experiential learning or practice teaching was commenced by an orientation with Mr. Leo B. Asilo, the Erico t. Nograles National High School’s (E.T.N.H.S.) Principal He made some clarifications on different matters such as the status quo of the lives of the students enrolled in the school.

He also made mention of the school policies and systems. He had also emphasized that cleanliness must be observed within the campus. And we, as practice teachers are also subjects for punishments if we fail to follow the proper waste disposal and management in E.T.N.H.S. he had also accentuated certain issues about the students’ standing and performances with relevance to their social and economic status. He’d reminded us that we are teaching students that need to have special attention and so then, our efficiency as teachers will be highly tested. Moreover, Mr. Asilo had also said that any complains that we want to address to his office regarding our stay must be done in writing.

This was also the day that I was able to meet my cooperating teacher (CT), Mrs. Belinda Apolinar, a first year English teacher, and has been teaching for 9 years in ETNHS. And I was assigned to teach English in three (3) classrooms in the first year. My CT or mentor introduces me to the class. And so, I had a sit-in  in the different classes to observe the classroom routine and teaching strategy. I also managed to take more strategy to the students who are doing indifferently. She had also oriented me regarding the class routine and lesson planning.

This day was indeed great.  This is also the start of the sharpening of my skills as a teacher, and the beginning of my official training for the real-life battle towards achieving change among the educational status among of the students.

Day 2

This is the second day if my classroom observation. My CT gave me a tour over the students’ problems regarding their scholastic performances and oriented me with the various approaches that must be customarily applied to each type of classroom.

My CT had emphasized that there is really a problem with the students when it comes to independent learning tasks. Students do not really do their assignments, and she said that it is one of the challenges to the teachers ETNHS. However, she had mentioned that constant encouragements and motivations must be employed to sustain their interests.

            This also was the start of my classroom-handling. I was truly unprepared since it was given to me on-the-spot because my CT has to go to Department of Education’s Office. However, I immediately my lesson plan and fortunately, I was able to carry the lesson.

During the class, I was exposed to the different personalities. I have then observed students who must be given special attention. Then, I applied my learning on the ways on handling different kinds of students. Tapping a student’s back is really an effective way to let the students feel that as teacher, I care for them. Also, calling them by their first names and setting themselves as the examples in the lessons promotes peace and order in discussion of the lesson. And I think that was a good start.

This day was awesome. It made me realize that I will significantly influence the students in all the aspects of their lives. And I’m hoping that I’ll be as effective as how I wished to be.

DAY 3

I continued my observation on this day; I have observed that CT motivated the students to increase their grades. She was able to touch the students’ affective part. She was also able to integrate authentic or real-life examples with relevance to the subject matter. She had also sustained the students’ interests through giving her humorous experiences as examples which attracted students’ attention.

On the other hand, I was again given the chance to handle the last section where I am supposed to hold my observation. It was indeed on-the-spot preparation. However, I had an hour for preparation. It was greatly a challenge, but fortunately, through the learning I had in classroom management and lesson planning, and with the help of Almighty God, I was able to carry the lesson with confidence. It was indeed fulfilling seeing my students participating well and cooperating with the strategies and the activities I have employed. But what’s more rewarding is the fact that I was able to let the students, who were about to cut classes, participate in the class.

The discussion ended asking those students if could they come tomorrow to join classes, and they responded positively. And one of the students approached me, and asked for a “mano”, and immediately, I reached out my hand with so much wonder.

Daily Journal Entry

                                                                                                December 5, 2012, Wednesday

            We were supposed to have our seminar in Peace Education. But, unfortunately, the seminar was cancelled just the other day, and we are the only school who was not informed because of the lack of contact number. So, we went early to the venue only to find out that another seminar is being hold on the venue where we are suppose to have the seminar. And without so much ado, we went back to ETNHS to have our classes.

            The truth is that I did not really expect that I’ll be handling classes, so I did not bring all the materials I usually bring as I handle classes. However, I praised God because I was still able to bring with me a draft on my lesson plan and the materials for the activity for which I am suppose to give that day. So, I was able to handle the class with a bit of confidence.

We had the activity entitled, “Awards Day”. The students participated well because the activity was all about recognizing who are the ‘bests’ in the section in different aspects. And after such, I used the activity we had as an introduction to our topic. It was great because I was able to have their eyes and ears on me. They have enjoyed giving compliments to their classmates.

            From today’s activities and discussions, I have come to realize that some of the students’ foundation in language was not really ‘well-built’, so they find learning the subject difficult. They had a hard time learning the lesson which I have also taught to a certain group of grade 1 pupils before. And this is the sad truth among high school students. However, as a teacher, I hope I can make a difference and a development.

Daily Journal Entry

                                                                                                December 6, 2012, Thursday

            I only handled one section for this day because there was an Anti-bullying Campaign held at the school.

            The day was indeed full of surprises of fun and learning to me and unto my students. I was able to employ the discovery learning technique, whereby, students were able discover the underlying principles with regard to the use of the different components of language.

            The class session started with a welcome and a restatement of my classroom policies because of the new faces I have seen. It had quite surprised me that there are really a number of students who are always committing absences. And I continued the activity entitled ‘Awards Day’ .I have sensed that they have enjoyed greatly. After we had the activity, I was surprised by the performance of a student sitting at the back area of the classroom although, at the moment, I could still smell the presence of liquor from him.

            Moreover, as I went through the discussion, I have found out a well-modulated really enhances the enthusiasm of the students. And a well-modulated voice would really attract students' attention and I was indeed grateful because I was able to sustain their interest throughout the period. I was able to observe that the students love solving puzzles and answering tricky questions. Their interests are mostly awakened when their responses are being recognized and when you put up a challenge to them through letting them answer open-ended questions. The class I am   referring is considered as the section 3 among the first year sections. And the students belonged here are those of average and below average intellectually. However, as I was holding the class just that morning, I was able to see students with lots of potentials, students who have the capacity, and the students who are willing to learn.

Tracing back the enjoyment we shared and their face painted with smiles, I have as a teacher, and I said to myself that I could make better lives and it boosts my courage to extend more enthusiasm and knowledge to the students who are DDU, depressed, deprived, and under served. (as quoted by Mr. Asilo)

            There was a seminar being held and by 10 am, classes were canceled.

Daily Journal Entry

                                                                                                December 7, 2012, Friday

            I have observed that there are only few students who were present. I have concluded then that students do not like to go to school when it is raining, perhaps, because the school, itself, is being flooded during rainy days.

            Moreover, I decided to have an assessment to the students through writing. 'I have given them independent writing tasks to check how well they do in terms of sentence construction. As I was giving the instructions regarding the activity, some of them were somewhat don’t have the enthusiasm. I was indeed challenged by that event. So I made a way to motivate and challenge them. I said that the other section, which they consider as inferior to them, had done well so far. So I challenged them to do better than the other. And so, they did the job.

However, in the last section, the challenge for arousing students’ interests intensified. Few students were about to cut classes because it was already 11:40 am, and they said they were hungry. When they have seen me, they were as if compelled to go back to their room. And when I presented their task, reluctance marked on their faces. And so I gave “conditioning questions” on what they will be writing. I was a bit successful because many have done well although they have only written half of what should be. And there was a student who does not really want to write. And so, I made the first few words of the sentence and I ­­asked him to add some more words. And after a few help, I have successfully made him submit a paragraph with 3 sentences (at least). It was a bit a successful day. They have all submitted their papers. Also, I have asked them for their grades in English from the past grading period. I was surprised when almost every one of them raised their hands when I threw up the question, “who got a line of 7 grade in English.”. So I encouraged them to help me pull their grades up by coming to school everyday, and encourage those who always cut classes to refrain from doing such. And I added that if they would just come to school, achieving a grade of 80 is never impossible. And one of the boys who was about to cut class responded saying, “musulod na jud ko sa imong subject ma’am.” Well, that was great!

            After the class, I had a conference with my CT. And I was really surprised to what I have known. She has been having a problem with regard to the students’ independent writing tasks.  She said that she’ll be happy even if just 3 students would submit their paper, (for at least there were students who are participative enough to do activities). That was indeed surprising.

Daily Journal Entry

                                                                                                December 10, 2012, Monday

I woke up at 3:30 a.m. to prepare for the fun run event spearheaded by the English Department of Erico T. Nograles National High School. There was indeed confusion regarding the starting area, and so, the marathon was not able to be started as to when it was supposed to be started. When the students have finally gathered, and the teachers had arrived, the fun run was started and it was already 6 a.m.

The fun run participants took a round trip along Boulevard. The team was convoyed by a group of traffic enforcers. Together with the teachers, we took the run. However, I was able hear students who kept on murmuring that the ‘fun run’ was more like of a “fun walk”. The participants were not able to run because the traffic was already heavy, and the participants could not easily do the running. And we had the U-turn along Trading Boulevard.

And by 7:a.m., classes were resumed. I had really felt tired after the activity. However, I forced myself to exert enthusiasm and effort on teaching that day. I employed multilingual medium of instruction. And this is because almost none of the students can respond to the questions I address in English especially in lower sections.

When I gave a quiz to the students, I made sure that they have understood the lesson we are having. I have noticed that when I have politely asked them if they were already ready for the quiz; they did better than the usual. It was amazing seeing my students do not copy from their seatmates. It made me feel glad because I was able to say that they have really learned well from our discussion. And it gives me the confidence that my efficiency as a teacher is improving. I have really observed from their faces that they were trying their bests to answer the quiz and get a perfect score. And when I checked their papers, I was very happy because all of them got perfect. And some others said it was their first time to get a perfect score. Hey have improved a lot, and their behavior is now better.