Ok. So. Just finished teaching this 1st grade lesson on ABA form for the 2nd time...After the first go yesterday, and after discussion with my co-op, I decided there needed to be some more movement (there's a heavy listening emphasis) connected to the lesson, and I needed to give the students some more guidelines and parameters to narrow their focus. Okay. So instead of having them draw what each section of the piece sounded like, which I did with the first class, I had this class partner up to come up with a dance that followed the ABA format of the piece. And I gave them swirly scarves (Mrs. Klink said kids love them.) So, they listened. And they danced. And they got the point.
But I hated it! I've discovered that from time to time, a child might fabricate an ailment to get out of class and go to the nurse...I felt like telling my co-op my tummy was hurting.
The lesson was just not enough. What the heck is ABA about anyway? Why should they care? Ok, they can swirl some scarves. Whoopee. I really feel the lesson needs to be more...I'm not even sure right now how to express the frustration I feel over it. I tried talking it over with my co-op, but I don't think she gets it, which isn't her fault, cause I probably wasn't communicating very well...But I don't like the format of coming up with what topic I want to cover and just doing it different ways, and making it fit into a CPME plan isn't enough either. And I don't like asking questions because I'm looking for certain answers. And I don't like giving a child some nice little comment when they talk about something that isn't quite what we're doing, so we can stay on track with what we're doing. And I don't like that I picked the piece only because it's ABA form.
If I was into tattoos, I'd etch PF on my arm for Paulo Freire. But today, I felt like such an 'oppressor'. I'm just not satisfied with dressing things up so the kids take it. Kinda like making cough syrup grape flavoured so they think it's some kind of sugar syrup when it's still gonna burn their throats. When I was discussing the lesson idea with my co-op, she said it would be great if I could get some classical listening in...Why? Why would that be any better than anything else? I'm not opposed to it. I mean I did use it. And I don't have a problem with the piece itself. And I'm not accusing my co-op of being Eurocentric or anything, she played Ella Fitzgerald for the 4th grade chorus. I just...I dunno...I need to figure out how to reflect what I believe about teaching in my actual teaching, so I don't feel like puking at the end of the lesson. I need to figure out what the heck I'm doing!
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