Reflective+Interview

Sam Matzke ** Interview Questions ** How did you first start off making your lessons? Most of my lesson planning begin with a variety of ideas. It includes the mandated curriculum, the students of each class, my favorite areas of study, time available, and materials available (text, computers, etc…). After this, I try to make all of it into a relevant lesson for today’s students. How different was it making lessons for yourself compared to how you learned them in college? Once I found what works for me I stuck with it. At my school, we made curriculum maps for the year to follow rather than an everyday lesson plan. However, I still use a daily plan, but in much briefer terms. My first years, though, my plans were much more elaborate. What was the biggest difference for you going from student teaching to having a class to yourself? The biggest change was the multiple classes I had to teach. I began my first year with five preps, all new text materials arriving the week school started, and large class sizes (32-36 per class). While it was a little hectic and crazy, it was a good way to make or break it as a teacher. Fortunately for me, I survived! What are some of the hardest challenges as a teacher you face that your classes did not prepare you for? The biggest challenge when I first began was the lack of full emersion into the classroom. As a trainee or new teacher, it makes you always the outsider rather than part of the trenches. I needed to teach more lessons to large audiences. I would also love another class on classroom management, but those classes are usually theory and not practice. Another challenge, was the requirements for SPED students. I had no idea how to prepare a modified test and study guide. While we discussed it, we never had to do anything about it as we talked about modifications for elementary students not high school. Do you find it hard or restrictive to your teaching by incorporating state standards? Since most of the standards are fairly broad it is not hard at all. How hard is it to balance teaching and coaching? The balance with coaching and teaching is easy if you stay on top of assignments. I don’t think I would like to just teach. Coaching lets you get involved on a deeper level with your students. How did you get involved with going on trips (overseas) with students? I actually took a student trip while I was in college to Israel. It sparked a love for travel that I wanted to share with others at a low cost. Though, trip planning has always been in my blood. Once I started teaching, one of my colleagues and I started talking and a trip to Greece and Italy evolved. One trip led to another and this summer I will be taking my fourth student trip to Australia and New Zealand. How do you prepare teaching multiple subjects in one day? Fortunately, this is my sixth year of teaching and I know my subjects quite thoroughly, but having more than three preps can be challenging. However, I would never want to teach the same course over and over. It is hard enough having one course three times a day. What advice would you give me going into student teaching? My advice for a student teacher is jump right into teaching. Take on as many responsibilities as possible. If you fail it is ok, that is what your mentor teacher is for. Dare to challenge students. They might buck you at first, but soon enough they will jump on your bandwagon. Also, be a little crazy, make them laugh. History can be entertaining if we hook them young, they will love it their entire life.