Yesterday I had the opportunity to do an instructional clinic day at the college. I’m only a casual so I only get called in every so often, but when I do its such a great learning experience.
I have been in my profession for over 25 years and the transition to teaching is an interesting one. Since taking the LCI program and now the PIPD course I have so much information floating around in my brain that when I’m in clinic I try to recall some of the information I’ve learned. Not only that but I watch the other instructors and see how they present information, I have to start finding my own way. One challenge I’m having is that being a casual I jump in midstream and have to figure out the criteria and HOW they are teaching the content. I was asked to do a demo yesterday and really wanted to but ended up watching them do one first then I did the next one. I still felt inadequate! I had the knowledge in my head but had a hard time articulating what I wanted to say!
Watching seasoned instructors is so inspiring! Seeing how they interact and deliver the information is awesome! By the end of the day I was definitely finding my groove but doing a reflection of how my day went was self defeating. I really made a connection with my students but feel I lacked depth to promote the skill they needed to learn in this clinic.
On my drive home last night, after a 12 hour day, my brain was exhausted….it still is. It makes me want to learn more and be a better teacher, in spite of my feeling of inadequacy I am motivated to keep moving forward and always try to up my game!!
Lorna's Blog 