On Wednesday nights I teach the most FASCINATING combination of personalities! There 8 of them, 2 math majors, 2 English majors, 1 Biology major, 1 History major, 1 Spanish major, and one PE-Health & Fitness major--all enrolled in my section of Middle & Secondary Language Arts methods. All walks of life; some were friends before, but several were strangers. It's a tough class to teach because they are all (except the PE major) minoring in secondary ed and are required to take this course. I have to help them figure out that language arts are a natural part of any course and that integrating them throughout their curriculum is just best practice. Some are wide open to the possibility, while others are rather resistant. This group, however, does everything I ask them to do.
The problem is, they have created such a supportive community that I worry they are not learning all they should. I know I am modeling the type of caring professional I wish them to be, and I have shown them ways to integrate the language arts, as well as pretty much forced them to read some high-quality young adult literature. But had I kept them more on task (it's a 3-hour class), how much more might they have learned? Would we have lost the precious conversations we've enjoyed? Would the Biology major and the History major have astounded us with their collaborative multi-media project? Would one of the English majors have been able to return to us after her mother's death? Has all the disclosure made them better language arts teachers? In essence: AM I DOING MY JOB?
This is what I struggle with, particularly in smaller groups like this. I know they love and respect me, and that they know they are loved and respected in return. I cheer them on, I validate, scaffold, support, critique, chastise, cajole, nurture, nag. But am I doing the content justice?
