Influences & Expectations

When I think back to influential classes that I have taken, I remember feeling the need to try my best because of how much expectations were stressed by my teachers. I felt this way because the expectations were presented to me in a way that left the responsibility to meet these expectations in my hands. The expectations were set up in a way that would not allow for student excuses. I see this in my cooperating teacher's classroom. There are no room for excuses from students because everyday she covers the expectations, goes over the rules of the art form from which we are currently working with, does as many demos are needed, and does not let misbehavior just slide by. Now that the classroom has been passed on to me for the remaining weeks of my 8 here, I am trying my best to uphold the expectations that she has in place as I lead classes. Everyday, as the students file in, they know to get their folders from their cabinets, take a seat, and when they see me standing at the front silent, they quiet down. Right now we are working on cityscapes from either a worm or bird's eyes view, one point perspective in the round. Everyday we go over the rules of perspective. Everyday I ask in the beginning of class if anyone needs a demo. Everyday I tell them that I will be checking their folders after they leave class to check on their progress and everyday I do. The students are aware that their effort and the way they use their class time is taken into account when I am grading their projects. Still, they often talk more than they should, and I remind them to work as they talk quietly, but still, they know that they are responsible for the outcome of their work and their grade. For example, I am doing a coloring demo tomorrow to progress onto the next stage of the project. Many of the students who are holding themselves responsible in class are up to speed and are ready to move on, but the students who are not using their time wisely are now spending their mornings or afternoons with me to catch up on their work. Now that they see that it is an expectation that I am continuing, the rules have not changed, and that they my expectations are in place so that they will not be able to just slide by onto the next step, I do not expect that we will have many students talking as much but using their time in class instead. The rules that I am continuing with all of my classes are ones that my coop already has in place in her classroom. The classroom management and expectations that she upholds in her classes reflect the same beliefs I have as a student teacher. I think that when the responsibility falls on the student after the teacher has presented them with the tools needed to succeed, the student will take on that responsibility when the expectation is upheld by the teacher.