Sonia Nieto writes about the 'need for adult conversations' in her book, "What Keeps Teachers Going?" During my Foundations of Education Class, I engaged in 'adult conversations' without knowing it. When I was traveling with my carpool to Pierre Moran for my observation, the car ride was a good time to talk about our experiences. On the way to the Middle School, the four of us would talk about our fears and excitements for the day. On the way back, we would tell dramatic stories that inevitably happen in a school full of 12 and 13-year-olds. We would also talk about the good, bad, and the ugly methods that our teachers would use with their students--whether they had control of the classroom, whether they commanded respect from their students, and whether the students were actually learning. This is something that I missed when my placement was switched to Mrs. Young's Kindergarten. Because her classroom is on campus, there was no opportunity for me to talk to other teachers while we traveled to our placements.
Again, unwittingly, I would engage in conversations with my roommate about my placement--I just needed to talk about it! We would talk specifically about my students as well as how my involvement in the class was going. I am glad that I had someone to talk to about this and I hope this remains true for the rest of my life. If I'm teaching somewhere where "adult conversations" aren't available, I will need some outlet to talk about the nitty gritty of my day. Being an intraspective person, I think I understand where this need to communicate comes from and don't think that it's a burden. Communication and feedback is helpful to success in teaching. Even feedback from a video camera could be helpful--it's like teaching in front of a mirror (with playback). I also hope that I will be someone other teachers can come to about their struggles. Nieto says that teaching "can be the loneliest of professions." I'll do my best to not let it become that way for myself or other teachers.
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