Graduation means different things to different people. For
some of us, it is the glorious end to countless hours spent on
course work and research in preparation for this day. For others,
it is a stepping stone toward greater professional development
and opportunities. For me, graduating from Teachers College is
part of a long insightful process that I hope to continue throughout
my teaching career.
Today we have graduates from Groups 6 - 11. I am from Group 8.
I finished the course work at TC more than 3 years ago, so it
has been very difficult for me to dig beyond my most recent memory
of agonizing over the research project and to reflect on my more
enjoyable days at TC. Yesterday, we graduates got together for
graduation practice, and it really made me realize how much I
miss TC - TC was like a family, and I am happy to say that a few
of us have continued a strong friendship.
I am sure that all of us gained something different at TC. Today,
I am going to focus on the student practica; the sharing of ideas
and materials; and using what we gained from TC in our classrooms.
When I started TC, I had only been teaching EFL for a little more
than a year, and I was not sure of my teaching philosophy nor
how to approach my teaching in an objective way. What made TC
stand out from other programs was its emphasis on student practica
and observing other teachers' classrooms. At TC, I gained a lot
more insight into my teaching by first realizing that there was
no clear cut definition for "good teaching." In John's
class, we were often confused about the purpose of observation,
and some of us may never have felt any purpose. However, one thing
I realized was that we usually stop our classroom assessment by
saying things like "this worked well in my class" or
"the students hated that." We often fail to REALLY SEE
what we and our students are actually doing. In other words, before
we can make judgments and interpret what happens in the classroom,
we have to be able to DESCRIBE what is happening. We often overlook
that might be seen through video-taping and peer observation.
For example, I remember observing a TC peer, and she tended to
sing her instructions to her students. When I told her this, she
was very surprised and had been completely unaware of it. Thus,
being observed often gave us a fresh new perspective on our classrooms.
Sharing ideas and materials with my peers was also practical and
refreshing. One idea I got from a TC peer was the use of student
information cards. I use these index cards with the students'
photos to help remember them and know them as more than just a
name in my attendance book. It was a simple idea, but it has helped
me associate my students' names with faces and to assess them
more easily. In addition, I learned about creating a syllabus
and matching the course goals with the materials and assessment
methods. In my teaching experience, I am often told just the name
of a course and that is it: No concrete goals, no concrete materials,
no concrete assessment method. It is really amazing that students
can finish a course without really knowing what the expectations
were. I have since tried to be very careful about creating a syllabus
and clearly explaining my expectations to the students.
At TC, almost everyone was enthusiastic and encouraged each other.
My first public group presentation was done with the encouragement
of Kip Cates who teaches the Global Issues course here at TC.
Without his support and the motivation of my peers who participated
with me, I would have never dared to think that I could present
any material that was worthwhile. I realized that giving ideas
and feedback openly is such an important part of the teaching
process.
Even though it is not always easy, we must continue using what
we gained at TC. Now that I have several years of post TC teaching
experience, it is unfortunate that some useful approaches to teaching
like OBSERVING and VIDEO-TAPING, and the SHARING OF IDEAS, are
not more prevalent. For example, I have NEVER been observed at
any school. It seems that most teachers do not want to be observed
out of fear of being JUDGED or because of their INSECURITY about
their own teaching.
We can all relate to those feelings, but at TC, observing was
not judging. I think once we moved beyond that obstacle, observing
became much more insightful. Although some teachers share ideas
informally with each other, there are few venues where teachers
get together specifically to share their materials and get feedback
on a regular basis. Not utilizing peer comments and feedback is
like teaching in a vacuum. At TC, we were able to be creative
and try out new ideas with peer feedback.
I hope that the TC graduates here today remember to continue taking
a fresh look at their teaching and encourage others to do so,
too. In addition, I urge us to continue to share our ideas and
to support each other. You really worked hard to get to this day.
Be proud.
I would personally like to thank my Auntie Viola Sugahara and
Ida Gomez-Sekiya, former New York TC students, for introducing
me to my husband.
Congratulations graduates! We did it!