This was amazing! Definitely one of my new favorite blog post assignments. I have actually been to this blog before I found it through one of the people I follow on twitter. In fact this blog is a part of my PLN and I was excited to see that someone from my PLN was part of a blog assignment. This post was great it was very eye opening. Somethings I was already somewhat aware of that he discussed but there was a lot that was brought to my attention. For instance, how teachers tend to forget to form their lessons to meet the expectations of their audience (their students)rather they make them to please their superiors. Looking back on my experiences I have to say I have seen this a lot, teacher's forget about the students because they focusing too much to make their principals happy. Also, I have personally seen that poor communication can definitely influence a work environment. So, if you are have issues with co-workers you should talk it out and that does not just apply to only teaching, it can be applied to any working environment.
One thing that stood out in this essay was his comment, "NO LESSON IS EVER PERFECT. THE LESSON YOU TEACH AND THE ONE YOU PLAN ARE ALWAYS DIFFERENT." I tend to be a perfectionist and I realize that my students will not be perfect. So, I definetly know I a going to have to work at being flexible. Also, another thing that I noticed was his advice to really listen to students. I know how much simply really listening can impact students. One of the main reasons why I went into teaching was because of my high school english teacher, Mrs.Blackburn, and I think it was because she really listened and truly cared about her students. Also, I am in agreement with his statement about learning. Learning is a never ending process and even though as teachers we are helping others to learn that does not mean we cannot learn something new ourselves.
Kimberly,
ReplyDeleteI also agree with you that many times the teacher will forget their audience and go off on a tangent that is not really helpful to the children. But, I was interested in hearing how he had to make a conscious effort to really listen to the children. I thought that this was an understood aspect of teaching children, I didn't think that it would be something that I would have to think about while teaching the kids. Granted, I am not yet a teacher, but I am even now interested in what children have to say on almost any subject. I think this is the best way to get to know your students and help them succeed in all aspects of their life. But, all in all I thought this blog was very helpful in getting the attention of some teachers that may have forgotten why they wanted to become teachers, and this is good thing to be reminded of.
And you won't be perfect either! Take a look at his After Year 2 Reflection. And, as you can see from the readings this week, Mr. McClung is even a better teacher in Year 3. The object is to continually improve. Perfection never happens in anything I don't think!
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