Co teaching ?

Question

So I am one day away from spring break! I think I'm more excited for it that the kids lol! Now I just have to get through today without killing one of my co-teachers? Has anyone here ever been in a co- teaching. Classroom? If so how does it work? Just interested to see how other systems do it because some years it's great and some years it's awful! It's all about your partner(s)

Answer

Oh shoot sorry -- I meant to also tell you what I've seen work for me, even though I have a feeling it's pretty close to your own experience.

First I need a co-teacher who views students the same way I do (I love the twerps! But they need boundaries and structure and for things to be clear -- I need to be able to joke with them but for me and the co-teacher to have the same feel for what the boundaries are of when and where and how from us and from the kids). Then I need them to know basic best practices (adequate wait time, Socratic questioning -- or at least know well enough to let me guide the questioning of they aren't good at Socratic method).

Next, as the content teacher (and in nc that means I'm held 100% responsible for my students' test scores) I want to set the objectives, though I'm always open to input. Then I like to kind of sketch out the framework of a unit plan, and there will be some lessons/activities that I definitely want to do because I have used them successfully lots of times and love them. But I'm totally up for ideas on filling in the firm picture of what we will do when...  As long as my co-teacher has good ideas. The two that drove me nuts because they couldn't manage behavior and not interrupt and were chaotic and confusing to the kids, funny enough, also had chaotic, terrible ideas lol.  Then, planning wise, what I rely on them for the most is to look at what we have planned through the lens of their specialty and tell me where we need to tweak, modify, etc.

Answer

I co-teach math with a third grade teacher (I'm the special Ed teacher). We're great friends so it's very easy. However since we are friends and hangout frequently, it can almost be TOO much time together. It's a lot of work so I wouldn't do it with any other teacher.

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I liv in the burbs but work in the city.... I do have to admit there is nothing like NY food lol

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I think you hit the nail on the head. She feels threatened by you because she senses how much better the kids respond to you, and she is jealous of that!

And I'm jealous of you living in NYC!  I mean I love nc too but I have visited nyc about 7 times and it's my favorite city in the world!!  A close friend lived there for years and I would come up for a week and explore while she was at work.  It was an energizing adventure every time!

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Sorry the first one was too short so I pasted it in a note

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I'm very passionate as well!!! In NYC we are both held accountable for our students test scores... I was dry freindly with my English votes her before working with her but she is horrible to me now.... She refuses to plan with me.... Will not accept any suggestions, will my let me teach my strategies to the class as a whole...if I disagree with her she tells me to pull. All of "my kids" out and teach them how I want to which is not ict it's more like self contained... She does my know how to manage the class and the kids don't have respect for her but they respond to me.... I feel like she is very threatened by me but don't know why.... She gives me very limited say in what happens in the classroom 
My math co teacher is not a certified math teacher (former Spanish teacher) he does not plan and is very limit in his strategies but he at least takes my suggestions and let's me teach bc I am strong in math....

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Sorry that was so much :/ I get passionate! Lol...

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Then in the classroom, if we are able to do the above well together, in my experience we have a ton of fun!!!  And that's why my favorite two co-teachers and I are very dear friends!!! ;):). I'm so excited because my favorite EC teacher was moved to self contained and one of the totally nutty co-teachers was brought back to our department for the last two years but NEXT YEAR my fav is back!!!  Because so many people complained about the nutty one...  Glad it isn't just me lol. And, I tend to have classes that are both EC and ESL inclusion so that means all three of us will be together maybe!!  That will be EPIC! :)

Answer

Ah!! Ok cool -- so we come from different sides of the equation, but I have a feeling we would get along really well ;) because I would not be able to stand what you're describing having to deal with!

EC is what we call special Ed in NC (exceptional children). I teach high school English.

Do you get any say in how you are assigned next year?  At this point in the year with difficult co-teachers I usually adhere to a strict regimen of prayer, meditation, and grinning and bearing it unfortunately lol.

Teachers who don't plan and don't know what they are doing make me the maddest of anything!!  Especially in middle school because those years are so crucial!!!!  I can tell in my high school students without asking which teachers they had in our feeder middle schools because they are either prepared or so woefully unprepared that it takes me all year to get them halfway from where they started to ready for high school. It breaks my heart bc they will never fully catch up in time for graduation.

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What is ec? I am a special Ed co-teacher the way it is supposed to work is we are supposed to plan and teach the content together to everyone.... Not just the special Ed or general Ed.... I have had 2 wonderful co teachers in the past and a httuble one.... But this year I'm working with four different teachers ( bc 7 th grade is departmentalized) and it's enough to drive you crazy... My co teachers don't plan an have no idea what they are doing but won't take advice or suggestions from me bc I'm only the special Ed teacher

Co teaching ?

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