Blog Assignment 9

After reading Mr. McClung's blog post What I've Learned This Year, I really felt a little better about becoming a teacher. I can get a little nervous, when I think about standing in front of a classroom with thirty children, all looking at me as a role model and facilitator of learning. I don't think teachers realize how big of an impact they can have on a student's life.

First of all, I absolutely love tools for self-reflection. In this course, I have seen that blogging is a perfect way to do this. What you may not be able to say out loud, you can communicate via your blog. I thought about this as I read Mr. McClung's opening statement of "Being young and inexperienced, I did not fully know what to expect from being an elementary school teacher. Since last August I have grown and matured as a person and a teacher, and in the process I have learned a TON. So, I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to share with you what it is that I have learned in my first year of teaching." I really liked how he saw blogging as an opportunity to share, self-reflect, and encourage others to persevere.

Mr. McClung separated his post into the following components:

HOW TO READ THE CROWD ~ BE FLEXIBLE ~ COMMUNICATE ~ BE REASONABLE ~ DON'T BE AFRAID OF TECHNOLOGY ~ LISTEN TO YOUR STUDENTS ~ NEVER STOP LEARNING


How to Read the Crowd

It's not all about you (the teacher). You're there for the children. This doesn't you're the only one teaching, though. Go for a student-centered lesson. Let them teach you. Let them teach themselves.

Be Flexible

"NO LESSON IS EVER PERFECT. THE LESSON YOU TEACH AND THE ONE YOU PLAN ARE ALWAYS DIFFERENT."

It's okay if your lesson doesn't go step-by-step as you wanted! Life is constantly changing. The world is constantly changing. Let that be an element in your classroom. "Well, I didn't plan to talk about sea turtles today, Benjamin...but, everyone seems to be really interested, so we'll learn about different sea turtles today in science class!" If the students learn that change is something they will encounter for the rest of their lives, they can develop the skills necessary to adapt and keep up with innovations that are occurring (such as technological advances).

Communicate

Communication is one of the best methods of therapy. Talk it out! Although, building communication skills can be very tough, the benefits will astound you. Build those strong relationships with your fellow teachers and your students in order to say "Hey, I'm a person, too."

Be Reasonable

Set high goals for your students. Have high and positive expectations for them. If they don't meet this goal, try to be there for them. Don't show disappointment or become upset because they "let you down". If anything, they will have probably let themselves down more than anything, and them seeing that you are disappointed will only set them back further. Pick them up, encourage them some more, and set them off to try again.

Don't Be Afraid of Technology

His subtitle says it all: "Don't be afraid!" Technology is out there to help us become better educators. It can offer multitudes of innovative ideas for the classroom. Technology can offer a familiar medium for the students, and can then facilitate further learning and exploration.

Listen to Your Students

As educators, we will be one of the most constant adults in the students' lives. Show them that you care about them as people. Listen to them. You may not know it, but you could be someone (the only one, maybe) they trust.

Never Stop Learning

Basically, if we are asking students to learn new things every day and focus Focus FOCUS...it would be a little hypocritical if we didn't do this ourselves, right? Personally, I love learning new things. It will be my constant mission to educate myself daily and continue learning, so that I can share all the wonderful things I find with my students.

Mr. McClung's advice was very helpful to me. I will probably look back on this post in my years as a future teacher. Hopefully, with all of the advice, hints, and personal stories I have read so far in this class, I will be able to be a better teacher, a better listener, and a better person in the classroom.