Yesterday, a student observer taught one of my classes. She is about twenty years old, a junior in college, and studying to be a chemistry teacher. She is basically me two years ago. While watching her teach, I came to the grand realization that these "early exposure" types of experiences are probably more harmful than helpful. I clearly remember my very first experience teaching part of a lesson: it was on ionic bonding in a 7:30 AM chemistry class at John Bowne HS. The students were half asleep and I had no idea what they had learned already. It was uncomfortably quiet, not many of them wanted to participate and it was overall an awkward experience. When I started student teaching, though, I realized that teaching is never uncomfortably awkward at all! I ended up having a lot of fun and was never nervous.
Watching this girl teach was like watching myself two years ago; and I felt so terrible for propagating this whole cycle of new teacher nervousness. Had my students been comfortable with her, and not see her as some random stranger, they would have been their usual goofy selves and it would have been much easier for the student observer to have a good time and make the lesson fun. The lesson was on the difference between chemical and physical changes. She did a pretty decent job overall, but it was obvious that she was nervous and she probably left the experience feeling like she might not be ready for student teaching and ultimately teaching her own classes. I tried to assure her that its much easier when the students are comfortable with you, but she didn't seem convinced. :( This is unfortunate because I'm sure she'll be a fantastic teacher one day.
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