Today I was all prepared to demonstrate how to graft trees to my "students." I should have known from the uneasy feeling that I got when I had to sneak my box cutter and kitchen knife onto the bus this morning that this was not going to be a good day. As I waited my turn to go in lab I started thinking about all the things that I SHOULD have done with this lab and probably needed to complete this task. Should do and actually do are two completely different things. I set up for my lab and realized that there was nothing I could do to change it now and I would just have to hope for the best and make sure I was extra careful.
As I progressed with teaching I thought that I should have a saw to make the cutting go easier and I also should probably have gloves on in case of a slip. I no sooner got to the part where "Student says, teacher does" when I really did slip with the box cutter and sliced my thumb. I no sooner said "And I just cut myself" when my thumb started to gush blood! I do have to thank everyone in my Lab because they all rushed to my aid and helped to patch me up! Thanks guys! You really do ROCK!
Although I did not get to finish my lab teaching, I learned a lot of valuable lessons today:
1. Thankfully I had this goof now and can learn better what to do next time, rather than have this happen in front of my actual students.
2. I will be that teacher that has a first aid kit in almost every drawer or every where physically possible around my classroom (just in case you never know!)
3. I do not think that I will be attempting grafting any time soon
4. I should think things through and maybe find a safer way for my students to complete what I want them too
I will say that if I was to try and complete this lab again I will make sure I have things pre cut for my students and that I will also use a softer material that is not so difficult to cut and does not require a sharp object like a box cutter!
Safety is really important now especially since everyone seems to be sue happy. This may be a terrible thing to say, but if this happened in the classroom, I bet that you would be a lot happier that it happened to you rather than to a student. This is one of those awkward zones as teachers. Some of the stuff that we do in shop is dangerous and a student can get hurt if they don't follow instructions and the safety procedures, or sometimes there is just a plain accident. As we go into teaching we kind of need to think like a parent and think about all the possible ways to keep ourselves and our students safe. I really liked the four things that you learned from your lesson this week, as it is the purpose of lab. Keep up the good work! Its good to make mistakes now and learn from them! I still have a scar on my finger from my hand slipping while I was taking apart an engine in high school. Accidents happen.
ReplyDeleteBrittany! I had no idea this happened! I saw the grafted branches in the trash from your lab, but didn't know you cut yourself! Talk about a grueling lab experience... I just hope this doesn't truly turn you off from teaching potentially dangerous and crazy things ;) We always have the risk of being an ag teacher! But then again, we have the responsibility of being super safe so our students follow our lead. Great reflection, though! I know you will remember what to do with your actual students from this experience!!
ReplyDeleteHi Brittany,
ReplyDeleteSo this would have been an awesome interest approach for a biology dissection..... and thats what you were aiming for, right? ;)
I hope all is well with your thumb, it will get better before you get married. :)
I am happy to hear that you were able to see the importance of safety and how to prevent it. Also, you mentioned that you will have a first aid kit in every corner, and it is a great idea to know where they are. As soon as you mentioned that, I began to think where mine is at in the cooperating center and its a bad thing that I had to think twice. I will have to incorporate the locations of all the first aid kits into my introduction lessons. Thanks for a great reflection and don't cut your thumb off next time. :)
Hey Brittany,
ReplyDeleteI think you really learned a lot from this lab and after all that is what we are suppose to be doing. I was really nervous the whole time you were demonstrating. I like you really did see that accident coming. Your demonstration really made me realize that prior to teaching any lesson, I should do a "risk" assessment. I think that is the take away message here. As future teachers we need to analyze our lessons for possible safety hazards. We should definitely work to prevent these things and thank god you did this demonstration here verse in the spring. Keep up the good work we are all learning!!
Hi Brittany,
ReplyDeleteI sure am glad that this happened in the lab and not in the classroom! I can't even imagine how that would actually go down in the classroom! I think the concept of what you we're teaching is pretty cool! It's something students would probably enjoy, when you do the lesson with you're students you may consider going over safety first. =D
Brittany, I apologize for not running to your aide! But I am glad everyone else did! :) I think that even though you did not complete the entire lab, you still learned a lot. I think what really stood out to me as a lesson learned is asking others for ideas. You had an awesome idea for this interest approach, and maybe bouncing this idea off of other classmates or even professors would have given you a safer approach to demonstrate this! When we get awesome ideas, sharing them with others and hearing what they have to say sometimes can turn those ideas into even better ones! You also taught us all how important safety is! I am glad you are okay!
ReplyDeleteObviously, slips happen. However to your benefit, you will always think of safety when demonstrating a lab!!! Your reflection shows how you are starting to think more like a teacher. We just need to further engage that part of our brains earlier. Only time will prove to be beneficial to this along with making 100% sure that we are pumped and prepared to rock out lab! Good job!
ReplyDeleteHey things happen! You have to take a risk when teaching somethings and making them engaging to the students. This was actually a good teaching experience for all of us. We must always remember to have first aid kits everywhere! Mistakes happen and not everything we do is perfect. Please, please, please don't be afraid to teach this in your school it's a great learning opportunity. Maybe lets think instead about not using thick wood and maybe food or something instead..idk you told me how creative you were. lol Keep your head up!
ReplyDeleteHey Britt,
ReplyDeleteFirst off I'm really glad you didn't need stitches and this wasn't your classroom. But really I think it was a great learning experience for all of us because we stress safety to our students but we tend to forget about making sure we our selves are following safety procedures which is a very important factor in keeping our classrooms safe. I also think that maybe Kate and I should have thought about the safety aspect of the tools you were going to use when we were all talking about it the day before sorry ! And for next time you could maybe use greener wood. Keep up the good work !
Thanks for all the feedback guys!! Even though it was a terrifying experience I liked how you all made me smile with your jokes!!! Don't worry I am not going to be bringing any sharp objects to lab anytime soon! Thanks again to everyone who helped patch me up too!! I am seriously so glad that I have all of you because when it really comes down to the wire we are all there for each other! :)
ReplyDelete