[Rainbow Ties and Rainbow Skies]

ID4002 (Communication and Teaching in the Arts and Humanities) is the module I'm taking where I get to be an assistant teacher at one of the local primary and secondary schools in Fife.  It's a chance for upperclassmen to experience the practical side of presenting their subject matter, as opposed to absorbing information passively in lectures.  I was placed at Madras College, a secondary school just across the street from the University of St Andrews on South Street.

The induction session for ID4002 was held today from 11am-5pm to cover expectations for the module and to prepare us for our first classroom visit next week.  I thought it would be an extremely boring day on teaching methodology and classroom management, but I was pleasantly surprised.

The only teaching methodology emphasized was to be a reflective teacher (we were to make observation logs after each visit and explain what we did well and what we could improve on).  It was sensible enough advice: I know too many classes where it was obvious that the professor has given the same lecture or syllabus for decades.  If you don't reflect on what you do as a teacher, the relationship dynamics between student and teacher stagnates, and the enthusiasm for learning wanes.

After that, the main focus of the session were past students recounting their teaching experiences and their associated fears and anxieties, and teachers explaining why they taught and the joys and sorrows of teaching.  It was a very personal and inspiring experience; everyone conveyed optimism about teaching attenuated by a dose of realism.

Olav Darge, the depute rector of Madras College stood up to give the ending speech.  He was a middle-aged, bespectacled, and erudite looking man, and the thing that immediately struck out was his rainbow tie (it wasn't garishly colored, but it was striking nonetheless), which contrasted with his more conservative dark-green blazer and tweed trousers.  The depute rector gave a very poignant and witty speech about his experience teaching history, and ended with the following anecdote about a conversation he had with a student in the corridor:

"Mr. Darge! Mr. Darge!" a young girl exclaimed.
 Mr. Darge raised his eyebrows and asked, "Yes?"
"I really like your tie!" [at this moment Mr. Darge gestured to the very tie he was wearing]
Mr. Darge graciously accepted the compliment. "Thank you."
Without losing a beat, the girl quickly added: "It looked like a rainbow vomited all over your shirt."

Olav Darge smiled as the audience and I chuckled, adding that despite the fact that teaching can fall into a routine, or you think you have the lesson completely planned out, the students can always surprise you.  Yes, the bad things can happen unexpectedly, but so can the good things.  I'm pretty stoked to start at Madras College next week.

Speaking of rainbow ties, it rained while I walked back to DRA and this was the view from Market St: