Lab Teachers' Lament
Carl Sannito
This
article is specifically for those of us who are teaching (or will
be teaching) in the computer lab. If you haven’t taught in
a computer lab before, it’s a different experience than being
in a classroom. You probably won’t see the same kids every
day, but even if you do, you probably won’t bond with the
kids the way that a classroom teacher does. The classroom teacher
has constant interaction with the students, but the lab teacher
has a limited amount of time with her/his students. The lab teacher
also needs to give students lots of time to interact with technology.
This frequently means leaving students alone and seeing more of
the backs’ of their heads than the fronts.
As a former
classroom teacher, I miss that interaction. I miss that feeling
that I’m an important part of my students’ lives. Perhaps
it’s the end of the year self-assessment; I look at my professional
life and think about what changes I can make for next year, how
I think I did this year, and how satisfied I am in general.
Obviously, most
people don’t have the luxury of taking a few weeks off from
our primary job to evaluate where we’ve been and where we
think we’re going. I consider myself lucky that I have this
time and I really try to work on myself over the summer so I can
bring something more to my teaching in the fall. Even if August
2006 is your first year teaching, you’re probably taking time
to make plans for the future. Heck, just reading this article shows
that you’re doing it right now.
I’ve been
teaching for 11 years now and I remember how it felt that first
year. How I was going into the classroom to change the world. I
remember my first year of teaching and how the world changed me.
I used to be in the classroom and although I worked my behind off,
I felt a sense of satisfaction in the classroom that I don’t
think I’ve ever reached in the computer lab.
And as I take
the time to look back over the year, I began to think about leaving
the computer lab and looking for a position in the classroom again.
I guess I felt as though I wasn’t reaching kids and parents
the way that I wanted to. I wasn’t satisfied.
So I reflected
on the past year and I discovered I did have a huge sense of satisfaction
because not only was I teaching my students, but I was also teaching
teachers. I forgot how much time I took with my peers and worked
with my friends. When classes were dropped off in the lab, I invited
teachers to stay and work on what I was working on with the students,
so they could learn too. I provided support to teachers by taking
lots of time to talk with them about their/our students and share
observations. We worked together to see if there were applications
or activities that students could work on that would complement
what the classroom teacher was teaching. I think the most important
thing we did was talk about teaching. We reflected and we shared.
Teachers don’t get a lot of time to do that, but I went out
of my way to do that with my peers.
I’m not
sharing to pat myself on the back, but I think that any job is really
what we make of it. I know that a lab teacher doesn’t have
the built in rewards that a classroom teacher gets daily. But we
also can support our peers by sharing ideas, collaborating and encouraging
reflection.
Lab teachers
are wonderful resources and sometimes classroom teachers don’t
know what we’ve accomplished. They don’t know that sometimes
we have ideas that can help. So don’t be afraid to share ideas,
collaborate and just talk.
Lab teachers
have a role in the school that is different than the classroom teacher.
That role is only as important as we decide to make it. Here’s
to making every role in the school an important one.
Do
you have a comment or suggestion? You can e-mail Carl at carlsannito@yahoo.com.
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