Co-teaching is WORTH IT.

I am co-teaching a Math 7 class this year. I was a bit intimidated and am still figuring out the best method behind it. (Figuring things out will likely take all year...)

My co-teacher has been teaching for 27 years. He taught special education for 17 years and has been teaching general ed math for the last 10 years. He certainly has a lot of experience on me. He has been very nice and has told me that he is open to new things and wants me to feel like a teacher and not just an aide in the classroom. I really appreciate this support because I would have a hard time just being an "aide" in the classroom.

I was giddy after math on Friday though. We finally gathered some data on Thursday (we gave a 10-question quiz on adding/subtracting integers). I was SO EXCITED to have data. We got to see what students were getting it and which students were still struggling. I was seriously teacher-nerding out because I was so happy.

After collecting data, we decided to do some re-teaching. I taught the group of 11 or so kids who scored a 60% or below on the quiz and Klark (my co-teacher) led an extension activity for the kids who scored a 70% or higher. We split the class and I taught my group by the promethean board (a smart board that attaches to my computer) and Klark directed his group at the back. The noise level wasn't too bad, although it took my kids a while to hear what I had to say.

My student teacher and I had come up with a task analysis (steps) to solve the different kinds of problems and it looked like my kids were understanding the material. I was loving this re-teaching. After the bell rang, a girl who was in my group came up and said, very sincerely, "Thanks for teaching today. I think I actually get it now."

That moment right there made my whole day. I think it will get me through the next month! This is the whole purpose of co-teaching! Co-teaching allows two teachers with different teaching styles to come together to meet the needs of more students. It consists of a special education teacher and a general education teacher. It can be difficult to overcome the idea that the special education teacher = a classroom aide, but Klark has been great.

I am excited to share more stories about how co-teaching goes this year!

-Ms. Damron-