For the second week of this adventure, I was able to teach Mr. Ahern's PreAlgebra 8 class. I am not a math person and it has always been my most difficult subject. I am much more of a reading, writing, research, history person. So this was definitely a challenge! I met with Mr. Ahern last week to talk about which class I could cover. He challenged me again with one of his sections that typically has some behavior issues to manage. Now I had math and behavior to prepare for!
The topic for the lesson was algebraic equations. Mr. Ahern described the cover up method and gave me the assignment the students would have due that day as well as the assignment that would be given in class. I took both home and did my homework for about an hour. It took me awhile to remember how to get the answers. Then I got rolling! 5x+6=31, x=5 These types of problems were the easy ones. Then Mr. Ahern threw in some fractions, some word problems (application), and even absolute value! I was sure to check in with him before class to go over my answers. I missed a few, but Bill's re-teaching style helped me figure out what I was doing and reinforced my skills.
At the beginning of class, the students were disappointed that I was their teacher! Bill had told them that a "math genius" was going to be guest teaching, so needless to say, I was a disappointment. They did have several questions as to why I was doing this adventure. I told them that I wanted to see what their classes were like, work more closely with students, and collaborate with the teachers. Then we got started on the lesson. We reviewed their homework and I told them about my struggles. Students were happy to tell me what I did wrong and how to correct the problem. Next we worked on the homework that would be due the next day. Students got up in front of their peers to solve the equations. They did a great job!
Some students didn't have their homework, some didn't have a pencil, some didn't have anything, and still others couldn't follow which problem we were working on. This class had a wide range of abilities. Some students were halfway through the homework and others were still on the first problem. One girl couldn't get started on the most basic of the homework problems. A few students tried to spend more time chatting than working. My redirection seemed to help keep them on track, as did my proximity.
This was an exhausting class! Not only was my math brain working, but my teacher brain was in high gear. It was a great reminder of the multitasking teachers have to do each and every period of the day. I appreciated Mr. Ahern giving me the chance to teach his class and work with his students. It was a fun experience in my first math class in years!
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