I've just completed my first day at Western International! Though there were no students attending class today, it was still an eye-opening experience and I learned an enormous amount about the school and faculty. While there were a number of negatives I noticed almost immediately, I'm only going to focus on the positive aspects for the inaugural blog post.
First and foremost, my mentor teacher, Tom Hoetger, is a truly dedicated professional. He responded to my barrage of rookie questions with thoughtful, detailed replies and a great sense of humor. I believe our teaching styles will greatly suit each other and lead to a successful year.
The Western International administration also recognizes the school's problems and genuinely cares about helping teachers. Every administrator I encountered seemed to care deeply about ensuring that each teacher would be able to effectively educate their students, even when resources were scarce. I even heard a number of references to the taxonomy and lesson-planning strategies we've been studying in MAC!
In all, it was a busy and tiring first day (and the kids haven't even come in yet!). More to come tomorrow!
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You probably already have found out about this, but your mentor is involved in an organization called NAME (National Assn. for Multicultural Education) and has been involved in professional development work for peers and in the community.
ReplyDeleteThis is just to underline what you've already discovered...you have a great opportunity close at hand.