Hey y’all! Today, I had the chance to interact with my pre-calculus teacher about a week before my new school term begins. My dad happens to be an educator at the same high school as myself, where I’ll be diving headfirst into my sophomore year in about 10 days.
I’ve already met the lady who will be my pre-calculus teacher before, and we’ve had several pleasant exchanges even before I signed up for her class. It might do well to clarify the structure of the class as much as I can before asking for advice: as I’ve been told by the actual teacher, there is very little direct teaching involved with this class. It is through a new program called OnRamps, which is through the University of Texas. From what I understand and as the course description mentions, is that the first semester is high school/college level curriculum, and the second semester, if you so choose to continue with the class, is more college-level curriculum and more of a seminar-type class. If anyone has advice on seminar-style high school courses, let me know some general things to expect. As this is a new program and course, I don’t expect anyone to give details about the actual curriculum.
What I want to discuss more than anything is the expectations my pre-calculus teacher already has for more before classes have begun. She said she genuinely thought I’d do well in the class and even anticipated I would be a leader of the class. I’m quite flattered, and not at all intimidated. I think a dose of good stress will push me to develop leadership qualities that will benefit me for the rest of high school and on throughout life. So, my question to anyone who is willing to answer is what does a leader of a classroom look like? I know it is quite a broad question, so I’ll try to narrow it down as much as I can. What kind of behavior should a leader have in a seminar-style class? How do I be a humble person willing to help my classmates when they need it? How do I maintain myself and my grade amidst pressure (good pressure, of course) without burning out or getting frustrated with myself or others? And of course, how does the dynamic work between an upperclassman working closely with/being helped by a lowerclassman? Any advice pertaining to these question and otherwise are welcomed. I want to hear all opinions. Thank you all!
A leader would be someone who was willing to participate in class discussions instead of sitting there wishing that you are invisible. That’s pretty much it. Also let others speak rather than dominating the discussion. I think you are overthinking the teacher’s comments, but it is nice that you seem to be looking forward to the start of the semester!
I agree, you are overthinking this. A good classroom leader is someone who leads by example. You participate in class discussions, and encourage others to do so as well by not dominating the discussion. You assist others when you understand something more easily than they do, which allows the whole close to move along more quickly (so it’s a benefit both to them and to yourself). What she is probably saying is she suspects you will naturally slide into such a role. Some students do, others don’t. The only additional pressure I see with this class format is that you will be more responsible for your own learning than you have been in previous classes. I wish more HS classes were run that way… The teacher’s job will be to help you access the material, and be available to explain concepts with which you might struggle. As long as your classmates are all prepared for this style of class, you should all do well. If some of your classmates expect direct instruction (lectures spoon feeding the material, so they don’t have to read the textbook), the teacher can only do so much - it may be up to a few student leaders to let such students know what’s expected, and that they are holding everyone else back.