Lesson 1: Always bring your own dry erase marker.I started my internship at the local community college last Friday. I walked in with the professor and students and took a seat at the back of the room as I only planned on observing. No, Ms. H., the professor took one look at me in the back row and indicated I needed to sit up front. So much for easing my way in.
As Ms. H. began the three hour class, I was able to contribute with comments here and there and help pass out papers. About half-way through the class, though, she needed a dry erase pen. In a brand new classroom filled with all the technology a teacher could want, there were no pens for the whiteboard. Ms. H. gave me a key to her office and asked me to grab some from her bag. As I walked out the door, I thought to myself, "This is your first lesson of the day. Always bring your own dry erase pen." I laughed and thought it might make the beginnings of a blog post. (Bloggers will understand how quickly I thought to take advantage of this lesson for my blog.)
Later that day, there was a mandatory intern meeting for training on developmental education. (I am working in the reading department which offers classes for students who do not have college level reading comprehension. These developmental courses are also offered in the math and English departments.) The first speaker for the meeting was a child development expert. He was using Piaget's stages of child development as a foundation to understanding the needs of college students. They are sensory in nature, they are pre-operational at times, they are concrete thinkers, and hopefully, they have abstract thinking skills.
As he talked, he wanted to illustrate how concrete thinking works. He looked at the whiteboard and there were no dry erase markers. One intern spoke up. "I have one." We all laughed and the speaker said something to the effect that in teaching you must always be prepared.
I think I laughed a little harder at that I think than the other interns. After all, the universe had seen fit to teach me that lesson twice in one day!
I think a trip to Office Depot is in order.
