things are not always what they seem

It occurred to me as I was reading through my last few posts: this classroom sounds so wonderful and pleasant and interesting....and it is all that...BUT, there is also frustration, confusion, desperation even! Last week was a really tough week--just lots of social issues, demands from all different directions, and too many deadlines looming. Many late nights and early mornings. And it is difficult to come off a vacation and hit the ground running at 90 miles an hour!

But this is teaching. And learning.

I was able to scrounge up a videographer for my weaving demo. After watching the tape, it suddenly dawned on me that most, if not all, of the videos of teaching I've ever seen--are so staged, so unnatural. The primates all respond appropriately, everyone pays attention, there are no interruptions, and the teacher never loses train of thought. That is about as opposite from reality as it can get! My tape is not perfect--several inappropriate responses, at some point everyone's attention strays, there are interruptions, and I lose my train of thought. But that is what it's like. That is the reality. And I think because of all those "real" moments, it is critically important to journal and reflect, otherwise all the frustration/confusion/etc is too consuming. And watching videos that edit out the "real", puts an unrealistic pressure on new teachers, on all teachers. It creates an illusion of what teaching and learning looks like. Juggling all those "real" moments, while weaving in some learning, truly is an artistic endeavor. Watching myself on video inspires me to appreciate that a bit more.

Here's to a new week!