Jumping Back In
- Anna Sweeten
- Aug 25, 2022
- 2 min read
Updated: Aug 28, 2022
The first week of the semester is about to end and I already have a lot to reflect on. This week I was given a random lesson and was told to teach it. This could have been an easy assignment if it was a topic I was familiar with, but unfortunately it was not. The topic I was given was....chess.
My immediate thought was, "how am I supposed to teach about chess? I have never even played chess." The time came where I was supposed to present my mini-lesson. I was nervous, but I made it through and it wasn't even that bad.
I realized that part of being a teacher is teaching topics that I might not be very familiar with, but I still have to try my best to give the best education I can to my students. I also learned that it is okay to ask for help. Sometimes a student might know more than I do about a topic, and that is okay too.
As an agriscience teacher there will be many times that a student knows more about a topic than I do. I would love to hear what my student has to share about their knowledge, and we both can gain something from this process. There is nothing to be ashamed of when asking for a little help or admitting that you are unsure of something.
After this week I am even more excited to see what this year has to bring for myself and the rest of my Penn State family. I know it is going to be a wild ride. Check back in to see what happens next!
Hey Anna!
I couldn't even tell that you have never played chess, you did a great job! Kind of like you said, I have played chess multiple times, but you taught me a lot in your lesson. I feel that way about most subjects that Ag Teachers do teach, mainly environmental sciences and mechanics courses. Sometimes as a teacher you have to fake it until you make it or I should say you just need to be one step ahead of your students, but you surely shouldn't feel like you need to know everything! I'm excited to go through this semester with you!
Anna,
I really enjoyed getting to learn some of the basics about playing chess with your lesson! I could tell that you put a lot of time and thought into how you were going to teach the mini-lesson and it worked really well. I appreciated how you made us as the students feel okay that we may have not been familiar with chess and that we would all learn together. I am excited to get to learn along with you and from you throughout lab this semester. Great start with your first lesson!
Morgan