Why do I want to be a teacher?

As internship and graduation draw neard, I find myself asking hard questions. Today's questiion is, "Why do I want to be a teacher?"

That is a loaded question. Let’s see how well I can unpack it. I will begin when I first knew that I wanted to be a teacher. I worked in a child development center through high school. I enjoyed the time I spent there and the kids really related to me; however teaching never crossed my mind. I was set on being a physical therapist. I went back to the development center the summer after my sophomore year at Auburn. They were getting ready for the new school year and I got so excited over school supplies. Something so simple, but I truly was excited. I stayed just to help set up the classrooms.

That is where it started, and the idea of freshly sharpened pencils still makes my heart race a little. Maybe I am being dramatic, but I love school and everything about it. I can also remember a specific day when I thought, “Hey. I could be good at this.” I was sitting with my class of three year olds. They had little chalkboards they were scribbling on. One asked me how to write his name, so I showed him. Step by step, I showed him how to make each letter. Eventually, he did it all on his own. I was so proud of him! And I would be lying if I said I wasn’t proud of myself too. I was thrilled that I was able to teach him something.

As a teacher, that is what I get to do. I get to teach children the information they need to succeed in school, and not only school but life as well. That is huge! I think it will take a lot of patience, and I am certain it will even by trying at times. But I know that it will be worth it. Freshly sharpened pencils and molding young minds is just icing on the cake for me though. My motive for pursuing this degree is so I can use it in Africa.

In the bigger picture of what I want to do, I want to teach orphans in Africa. I do not say this lightly or to impress people. I mean it sincerely. I spent a few weeks in Tanzania, and the little orphans changed my view on life completely. I would love to go and teach them and make an impact in their lives for good. Be more than a teacher, but possibly even a mother figure; someone to care for them and teach them about life. I want to encourage them to move on from where they are, and do bigger and better things. Which I know teacher’s become that a lot anyway. I thought, what a better way to equip myself than to learn methods of teaching that have been well tried. It is a heavy load to take on, but that is what I truly want to do and why I want to teach. To make a difference even if it is just one child at a time.

Africa Painting image found at: http://www.jeron.je/stARTing_points/new%20art%20pages/ks2/Organised%20images/KS2/Painting/p5/4%20African%20Painting%203%20-%20Y5%20copy.jpg

Classroom Management

My plan for classroom management is to set clear rules and boundaries from the very beginning. I will ensure that my students know what I expect of them, as well what the consequences are for choosing to be disobedient. My rules will be something along the lines of: 1.) I will listen the first time and every time. 2.) I will keep my hands to myself. 3.) I will only talk when I have permission. The consequences for disobeying these rules will be: after the first offense, they are given a warning. After the second offense, they will be separated from their friends for 15 minutes. After the third offense, their desk will be isolated for the remainder of the day, or until they prove that they are able to sit with their friends by working diligently. (Of course, there will be some variation based on the age of my students and what is developmentally appropriate.)

I know that it is important to have a minimum amount of rules which are stated clearly with set consequences because students work best in a structured environment. It is useful if they know what to expect. Therefore, having set rules with set consequences is important. However, each child is different; what’s punishment to one is reward to another and vice versa. So, along with the general rules, I plan on implementing natural consequences. For example, if a student decides that it is okay to blow his nose into his hand, instead of playing at recess, he will practice blowing his nose. He will bring with him a box of tissues and a garbage can, and practice blowing his nose until either recess is over or he runs out of tissues.

I think unconditional positive regard is very important in classroom management. I feel that if it is made clear that you care about the students no matter what their behavior, they will benefit greatly. The number one rule in child psychology is “A child does nothing without reason.” So, everything my students do is with a purpose. If they act out, it may be that they do not receive the attention they need at home; so any attention, even if it is for negative reasons, is better than no attention at all. I will do my best to watch them and try to recognize these types of things. That way, I could try to put more emphasis on the positive things they do rather than on the negative (which should be done anyway). It could be, that they are just having a bad day. In that case, I may just need to talk to the student about what’s going on, or possibly even let things go and hope for a better day tomorrow. Ultimately, unconditional positive regard is viewing the child through the scope that they are “behaving badly” not that they are a “bad child.”

One thing I will NOT do for classroom management is assign my students schoolwork for punishment. Schoolwork is not punishment. I may make them finish what they should have already completed, but I will not give them extra work. First, that sort of “punishment” most likely does not correlate with the behavior I want them improve, and second, that gives them a negative view of schoolwork.

Frog image found at: http://www.todaysteacher.com/images/frogtext.gif

Military Children

In my lab placement, one student's father is in the military. The little girl and her family have moved more times than she can remember. Her latest move was all the way from Egypt. On many occassions, she has told me that she can't read because her dad has made her move so much. She says, "It's his fault." She seems very bitter about it. For such a young child, that seems like a heavy load to carry. She should be going into the second grade, but didn't pass the first grade markers. On top of that, she is moving again in a few weeks.

I imagine moving so much really does cause problems. It is difficult for an adult to adjust, much less a child who is still figuring things out. Every teacher is different, with their own ideas and methods of teaching and every state is different with their required objectives. I can only imagine how different a military base in Egypt would be.

I admit feeling a bit helpless when she tells me these things. I want to offer her an encouraging word, but have to dig really deep. It is hard for me to imagine what that lifestyle must be like, and how confusing it must be for a child. The first time she told me she wasn't good at reading, I said, "How do you become good at something?"

She said, "Practice."

"Exactly." I said. "Becoming good at something just takes practice. That is why you are here in summer school. To give you extra time to practice." She seemed content with that answer.

The next time she told me she wasn't good at reading, she went into more detail about her dad. She blamed him for everything. Perhaps I should have just listened, instead I offered words of advice. I said, "Can you control what your dad does?"

"No." She said.

"Whose actions can you control?"

"My own." I went on to tell her that sometimes things happen that are out of our control. We can control our own actions though, so we should always try to do our best no matter what.

I suppose that lesson is for me too. When it comes to my students lives outside my classroom, I have no control. However, I do have control of what goes on within my classroom. What can I do to help students like her? Definitely something to think about...

Military Child photo recieved at: <http://www.viswiki.com/en/Military_brat_(U.S._subculture)>

First Grade Summer School

This summer, my lab placement has been spent with

first graders at summer school. One might ask, "What do first graders do at summer school?" I asked the same thing. Apparently, the main goal is to keep the students from forgetting the knowledge they have already attained.

I have found myself becoming very frustrated for these students. There are 9 of them, 3 of which should be going into second grade. The remaining 6 are rising first graders who struggled in kindergarten; i.e., they still struggle with letter naming, letter sounds, rhyming, and basic addition. These students struggle so much and I don't feel like anything specific is being done for them. The main thing the teacher uses is direct instruction. I can't stand direct instruction. I'm sure it is somehow useful, but I don't think it is helping these students at all. Most of her time with the students consists of her reading from a script, and them repeating her. I don't get it.

I don't have much control over what goes on.
However, if I did, my outlook would be much different.
I would go into each day thinking, "These students are going to learn something today, and it is my job to teach them." I would have them do more practical things. I would take away the work sheet and have them use manipulatives. Instead of the direct instruction activities, I would use picture books, reader's theatre, and a word wall.

After observing my students, I know that they are all capable of learning. I am afraid they have just been written off and given up on. It breaks my heart.

A typical day looks something like this:

8:40 - Smartboard Activities This includes the calender, the number of the day, the clock, money (pennies and nickels), and patterns.
9: 30 - Reading Rotations While small groups work with the teacher doing direct instruction activities, the other students work on a number of the day math worksheet. The other lab student and I help the students with their worksheets.
10:00 - Play Outside
10:15 - Snack
10:30 - Centers There are three centers that the students rotate to. One is direct instruction activities with the teacher. One is a math center with the other lab student. Lastly, my center is a word/phonemic awareness center.
11:30 - Go home

Word Wall image found at: <http://www.hammond.k12.in.us/kenwoodes/kindergarten_word_wall.htm>

Chris: An ELL Student

Chris and his family moved to Alabama from Mexico when he was a baby. Besides struggling with English, he is a fairly typical 6 year old who enjoys laughing and playing with his friends. Even though Chris is a happy child who desires to do well, he has a hard time understanding English. Because he is an English Language Learner, he struggled through the first grade. He is now attending summer school and is being retained in the first grade for next year.

I am a lab student in Chris’s summer school class. I enjoy working with him because he is so joyful. However, it seems that he struggles to understand what is being said. When I ask him a question he usually gives me a blank stare. If he catches on that I am asking a question, he usually says something random that has nothing to do with my question. A perfect example of this is a day when we were listening for rhyming words. At first, the teacher said two words and asked the students if they rhymed; they answered yes or no. Then, the teacher went around the circle and gave each child a word and they were to come up with a rhyme. When she got to Chris, the teacher said, “What is a word that rhymes with sock?” He said “Yes,” as if saying, “Yes, the words rhyme.” The teacher had only given him one word though. He did not understand the directions, so he went back to the last thing he remembered.

Chris becomes discouraged very easily. When he realizes he doesn’t understand something, he reverts to acting very silly. He covers his face with his hands, makes funny faces, or looks away as if looking for something to distract him. Sometimes, he wiggles in his seat, changes the subject, and even distracts the students around him. One day when he was being particularly silly, I told him that horses used blinders to keep them focused; so in the same way, when he starts feeling silly he needs to put his blinders on. So now, whenever he starts disrupting I will tell him to put on his blinders. He will put his little hands up next to his face and in his cute little Spanish accent, “Okay.” Then he will do his best to get back on task. A few days later, during a different rhyming activity the same thing happened. I said, “I have a secret word in my head. It starts with P and rhymes with mat. What is it?” The other students caught on very quickly, but he didn’t understand. After guessing a few times, he became discouraged and quit trying. He looked around the room; he made silly faces, and then started talking about something else. I tried rewording my question and giving him hints. He still didn’t understand.

That same day, his mother was late picking him up. We called her cell phone and her voicemail was in Spanish. We asked Chris if he spoke Spanish at home, and he said no. However, I think he misunderstood the question. At school, he talks in very short, broken sentences. It is often hard to understand him. I feel that if he spoke primarily English at home, it would not be so difficult for him to speak and understand it at school. My thoughts were confirmed when his mother finally came. She herself did not speak very much English. When she was spoken to, she simply nodded and waved with a smile on her face. In my past experiences with non English speakers, that is there way of being polite when they don’t understand you.

This child simply does not understand the language and he receives no reinforcement at home. His coping mechanism is being silly and being off task. There are two problems at hand. The first being, how do you teach him in a way he understands? The second being, how do you keep him from distracting his classmates in the mean time?

Spanish-Face image found at: <http://vivirlatino.com/i/2009/01/face-spanish.gif>

Pencil Sharpeners and Natural Consequences

A friend of mine, who happens to be a wonderful teacher, told me about natural consequences. It is just what it sounds like. An example she gave me is, “If a child keeps flipping out of his chair, then he doesn’t deserve to have a chair anymore. He gets to stand until he decides that chairs are an important thing to have and should be treated properly. If a child ties his shoelace to the chair, then he can drag the chair with him until he figures out how to untie his shoelace.” I really liked this concept and decided I would see how it worked.

One particular day at my service learning site, the teacher who is normally in the classroom was not there. It was a second grade classroom, and the stand in teacher was a man who was normally with 6th graders. There were three students playing at the electric pencil sharpeners. I tolerated it for a minute hoping the teacher would take care of it. However, he said nothing. I gave them ample time to do what they needed to do, but they broke their pencils over and over so they would have to sharpen it more. Finally, I went over there and told them to go sit down. They argued with me so I unplugged the pencil sharpeners and took the cords. Two of them went and sat down, but one of them threw a fit! He started throwing things and yelling. I just sat there and watched him act out. The teacher then handed him another pencil. I was so mad! I was trying to prove a point, but instead I was undermined and made out to have no control at all. The little boy gave me this devious grin. Later, I even saw him stealing classroom pencils. The teacher saw it too, but said nothing.

It was quite frustrating. That is why the students act the way they do. No one makes them do anything. They are in control and they know it.




Electric Pencil Sharpener image found at:

My Personal Approach

I know that there is no best practice for teaching. It is personal, and unique to each teacher. I feel that for me, the best way to teach is by allowing my students to see that I am a learner much like they are. I am only a little further along in the process.

I am all about putting myself in my student's shoes and investigating along with them. The students will benefit from this because I will be setting an example for them, giving them something to model rather than standing at the front of the room spitting facts at them. Scaffolding is important. If I assist the students, they will be able to do more than they could have done on their own. They will be challenged and will gain more from the learning experience.

If I come alongside them, they will know that I have not asked them to do something that I am not willing to do myself. It makes the material seem more important and worth learning if the teacher is involved. I did not appreciate it when my teacher would just sit at her desk, drinking diet coke, flipping through the latest issue of Cosmo while I sat and did pointless worksheets. It seemed like a waste of time.

Lastly, working alongside my students will allow them to relate to me. Hopefully, it will break down the student/teacher barriers. It will help them to see that we are ALWAYS learning.

I am the type of person who appreciates when a teacher not only gives me instructions but comes alongside me and helps me figure things out. How much more will my students appreciate it?

World Image found at: <http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/thumb_285/1215021545N7x6ZT.jpg>

Academic Coach

In my classroom management class, we often discuss Harry Wong. His approach is very intriguing to me, so I read an article written by he and his wife. It is entitled Academic Coaching Produces More Effective Teachers. I would say that this title very effectively reflects the text of the article. In brief, the article discusses how novice teachers need more than just a mentor. They need a coach; someone to work with them, model for them, and monitor their progress.

This article begins with a picture of a baseball team and how there are many coaches and each coach has a different responsibility. They are supposed to bring out the best in each player within their area of specialty. The players were not given mentors who merely gave them advice and then left them. Their coaches remain with them, work with them, and help them. The rest of the article then goes into great detail explaining how a school is much like a team and it is necessary to have coaches for the school to be effective. Mentors are good, but there is no evidence that supports they help new teachers become more effective. Beyond mentoring, is where coaching comes in. Academic coaches monitor new teachers with the goal of constructive feedback. They are there to model for new teachers effective practices, as well as monitor their progress. They are the teacher’s advocate, helping them to become successful by ensuring that they understand the school’s curriculum, know how to implement programs effectively, and also aid with intervention for struggling students. These “coaches” help new teachers with everything from instruction preparation, classroom set up, to assessment. This has proved to be very useful for very effective teaching.

The main issue discussed in this article is effective teaching practices. This is not a standard per say, but it is crucial. The entire purpose for teaching is student learning. If learning does not occur, then the teaching strategy or approach is ineffective. This is an issue that concerns every classroom teacher. In this article, the Wongs discuss an effective teaching strategy for novice teachers. They discuss the importance of having an academic coach. They talk about the concept of comprehensive induction, and how in other professions novices are not thrown into the field and told to solely rely on mentors when they have questions. They have something like an apprenticeship where they work side by side with someone to ensure their efficacy. Then and only then are they allowed to work on their own. This idea behind academic coaching is to ensure the efficacy of teachers.

In all of the courses I have taken and from every classroom teacher I have talked with, I have repeatedly heard the importance of a mentor. They say to find the best teacher in the school and steal from their ideas. This relates to classroom management, especially for a novice teacher like me, because in all reality I have no idea what I am doing. Forming my classroom management routine by modeling others is the only option I have. I have no experience of my own to learn from and build off of. The idea of having an academic coach is essentially the foundation of classroom management in this article. The novice teacher uses the coach as an outside resource to come in and make sure her classroom is running effectively. As I stated before, the entire purpose for teaching is to ensure student learning and classroom management is the tool for making that happen. Thus the academic coach is the classroom management tool.

Whistle Image found at: <http://www.lasoutdoors.com/images/Referee-type-whistle-CS19.JPG>

Effective Teaching

What is effective teaching? In a general since, there is no one right or wrong answer to what is the most effective method. A number of factors must be taken into account before a conclusion can be made. Before we can ask “How am I going to teach?” We must ask, “What am I teaching?” and “Who am I teaching?” The information you wish to convey and the intended audience are the first things to consider.

The information you want your students to learn is the very first thing to take into account. No matter what level your students, you will teach Reading differently than you teach Science; you will teach Math differently than you teach History. Different subjects require different methods in and of themselves. Some content requires that you tell facts, while it is effective to invoke critical thinking with other content. In some instances, it is more effective to use group activities while in other instances, working individually is best.

Now, because my degree is in Elementary Education, I am assuming my students will be somewhere between kindergarten and 6th grade. That is a broad spectrum; however, my audience can vary on many different levels. My students may be below average and struggling, they may be above average and in need of a challenge, or they may be somewhere in between. They may have prior knowledge of the content or no knowledge at all. They may have special needs. They may come from a low socioeconomic background. They may speak a different language. This list could go on forever.

Once I have considered all of these things, and decided the “what” and “who” I can begin to think about the “how.” I think no matter what the case, taking a variety of approaches is good. Each class is different, and each child within the class is different. Using a variety of methods will ensure that the class as a whole is exposed to the information several times. And on the individual level, using variety will allow each student a chance to experience the information in a way that makes since to him or her in particular.

To answer this question more specifically, it may be easier to say what does not work. Worksheets should not be used for teaching, ever. Worksheets can be used for assessment or reinforcing, but not teaching. Reading straight from the teacher’s manual is not effective. The teacher’s manual is a guideline, something to use as a base or a reference. It is hard to be anything but boring if the only time you speak to your students is with your nose in a book. That is a sure fire way to lose the student’s attention, and it is only possible to teach them if you maintain their attention. Only having one approach is not effective for teaching all material, much like one tool is not effective for fixing everything that breaks.

Teacher image found at: <http://school.discoveryeducation.com/clipart/images/teecher.gif>

Elementary School

The further along I get in the education program, the more excited I become about teaching. Elementary students are great because generally, they are still excited about learning. Many concepts are still brand new and exciting. They are not completely dependent on their teacher however they still need them and like having them around. They think their teacher is the smartest person in the world.

They are excited about something if you are excited about it; which is what I look forward to the most I think. I have been to Africa and want to incorporate all the neat things I saw and learned. I plan to base my entire classroom theme around Africa. It can be as broad or narrowly interwoven as the curriculum allows. In Elementary school, you have the leeway to do that; and the students will appreciate that sort of thing where as the older students may feel babied.
Another special thing about Elementary aged students is you are just beginning to see their potential. You can watch them as they figure out the things they are good at, whether it be a particular subject or sports. As their teacher, I get to be a part of encouraging them in the directions they decide to go. The older students usually already know what they will do; they will most likely already have a good idea of what their strengths and weaknesses are.

My very first memories are from Elementary school. I remember figuring out that my first grade teacher lived in my neighborhood. I remember loving to read because I was so proud to tell her I could do it. As a teacher, I get to be a part of that… first memories, instilling the love of learning, and teaching them how to read. I will be setting the very base of their life for the next 15 or so years. That is pretty special.

School image found at: <http://powayusd.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/PUSDMIES/school.gif>

Temperament Inventory

I am in a classroom managment class. Today, we spent an entire day discussing a temperament inventory that categorizes people into 4 categories. Blue is the compassionate type; green is the intellectual type; orange is the adventurous type; and gold is the very organized type. The point of knowing students' temperament styles is to help the teacher be more aware of what makes the students tick. In other words, this was created in hopes of knowing how to teach each student and what temperament styles conflict. I had a hard time buying this approach, and I was frustrated that we spent an entire class period on this topic.

In short, this temperament inventory revealed that people are different and different people require different approaches. I think it is true that people have strong tendencies and specific personalities. My personal belief though, is that people are too complex and too wavering to be placed into one or even four categories. People are as unique as their fingerprint. What works for one student will not always work for another, even if they have similar “temperaments.” This attempt at defining and understanding people is only useful up to a certain point. I have lived twenty two years. It has taken my entire life to make up who I am. I am much different than I was 5 years ago. My personality has changed, my desires have changed, and my tendencies have changed. How can I be defined in 30 minutes? The same for my students; they cannot be defined by a color. However, they can be looked at as a person with a unique story. They are different from me and they are different from each other. Therefore, it will take much consideration and thought as I interact with them. I will use this temperament inventory as a reminder of those things, however I do not think I will incorporate this into my classroom.

Color Spectrum Image found at: <http://image.orientaltrading.com/otcimg/65_60084.jpg>

Frogs and Motorcycles

As silly as the image appears, it relates I promise.

Today, I have been reflecting on my service learning experience from a few semesters ago. One of my students taught me so much. Even though it has been a few semesters since I spent time with him, I still think about him often. I will never forget the first time I met Anthony. I asked him his favorite color. He said, "Green." I asked him, "Do you like frogs? Frogs are green." He said, "No. Sick." Another student piped in, "I like to eat pickled frogs legs." Then Anthony said, "Uh. You've got frogs jumping down your throat."

Anthony is a fun student because he makes people laugh. However, he definitely has some cognitive problems and probably should have an IEP and special help. Due to his unfortunate circumstances though, he just doesn't have the support he needs. I am afraid he will pass right through the cracks and will just be another statistic. He is an African American, born into a low socioeconomic family, and in the second grade he is already talking about robbing stores and selling drugs. I truly enjoyed the time I spent with him. He was a lot of fun and made me laugh. It breaks my heart to think about where he is probably headed. I hope that someone will intervene.

One thing Anthony taught me, was the value of reward and positive reinforcement. He never paid attention, but got away with it. He completed his homework, but generally filled in the blanks with answers that meant nothing or he copied someone else’s work.

One day, I decided to do a little experiment. I wanted to see if it was possible for him to become motivated enough to sit and pay attention. So, I told him if he would sit and complete his work, I would bring him a little toy motorcycle. He was beyond excited! To my surprise, he completed his work.

The next week, when I walked in the very first thing he said was, “You lied!” I asked him what I lied about. He said, “You said you would bring me a motorcycle.” I told him, “I did not lie! I have it with me today.” He was beside himself. I said, “If you get all your work done and you behave, it’s yours.” He was a different kid! He sat down and did his work. If I noticed him getting distracted I would just give him a look, and he would get back to work. I gave him the motorcycle, and he very carefully put it in his book bag like it was the most valuable thing in the world.

I thought I was brilliant! However, the next week, when he did something good he said, “You gonna give me something?” I said, “Not this time.” And he was back to his old self. I was at a loss. It just is not feasible to give him a little car every day. That is expensive first of all, and second of all it does not help him to become motivated on his own. I know that rewards work best when they are given sporadically. I think something less expensive might be a better option. I was talking to a friend and she said she used gummy bears, skittles, or stickers.

How much is too much though? Rewards diminish self-motivation. I suppose time and practice will help me to find the balance.

Frog Motorcyle image found at: <http://www.ananova.com/images/web/1214876.jpg>

Meeting Potential

Every child has certain needs that must be met before learning can happen. Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs states as much. Before children can learn, they must have food in their bellies, they must feel cared for, and they must feel safe. These needs are essential; they are vital to living much less learning. Once these prerequisites are met, there is potential for learning to occur.

I say potential because there is more to teaching than simply presenting the information you want the child to know. For a child to successfully learn, they should not only be ready to hear the information, but they must be given motivation to learn it. Motivation relates to relevance as well as the probability of success. If a child sees no use in knowing the material, they will not care to learn it. If they do not see themselves being successful at learning the material, they will not care to learn it.

Once the child is motivated and begins the road to learning, it is important for them to know that much is expected of them. If they are in an environment where it does not matter what they do or how much effort they put in, they will most likely do the minimum. Perhaps some learning will happen, but they will not meet their capacity. They will not be learning as “best” as they can.

As a teacher, this means it is my responsibility to create conditions that are conducive to learning. I imagine that the learning process is much like the growth process of a flower or plant. There are very specific conditions that must be met in order for the plant to thrive. It begins with a seed, which is the child before it is exposed to anything. Then, the seed is placed in nutrient rich soil so that it can be in a position to grow; here it is kept safe and is nurtured. Much like the child’s essential needs must be met so that he or she can be in a position to learn. Then the seed requires water to nurture it and give it what it needs to grow. This is like presenting the child with information and the opportunity to grow in knowledge. Then, the sun is a necessary part in the life of a plant. The sun is what makes photosynthesis happen; giving direction to the plant and giving the plant purpose. The sun, in the life of a plant, is what the teacher is in the life of a student. The teacher is what creates a purpose and direction for her students. She gives the motivation that is necessary for learning.

“You reap what you sow” If the teacher puts in little effort, she will reap a little harvest; the student will learn the bare minimum. However, if she puts in great effort and expects much of her students, she will reap a great harvest. The student will not only grow, but he or she will flourish and will learn as best as they can. This entails the conditions that must be met for learning to happen.

Maslow's Pyramid image found at: http://deptorg.knox.edu/engdept/commonroom/Volume_Eleven/number_two/Wedel/maslow.gif

Lessons Learned from Chaos

One day at my service learning site, I went to PE with the students. What an adventure! They ran into the gym like they were mad children; fighting, pushing, screaming. The PE teacher, all the while talking on her cell phone, blew her whistle and yelled at them. She told them to sit on the wall. So, they scrambled to do what they were told. She had scoot boards, hoola-hoops, and basketballs out on the floor. She blew her whistle and chaos broke out. Kids were running into each other with the scoot boards, a few girls were chasing a boy trying to hit him with a basketball, and a few kids were fighting over a particular hoola-hoop. The teacher did absolutely nothing. She just sat at her computer, with her back to the students, and talked on her cell phone. Every now and then, she would turn around and yell at someone.

I watched the madness, and desperately wanted to do something. However, I had no control or authority to do so. It was really bad. Two students started threatening each other. I tried separating them and talking to them individually, but it didn’t really help. Before I knew it, she blew her whistle and told them to go back to class… and she was still on her cell phone.

I felt useless, and I was. There was nothing I could do. The order of things had already been established and I, only spending one day a week with them, could do nothing to change it. I have been told that you can learn a lot from bad teachers. I must say, I did learn a lot. I saw that it is important to have a management plan set, otherwise kids will be kids… and kids are mean. They will end up hurting others as well as themselves. They will do as much as you let them get away with.

Crazy Classroom image found at: http://www.ngkids.co.za/images/games/crazyclassroom_popup_image.jpg

The Art of Teaching

MY PONDERINGS

I enjoy deep thinking. This blog will give me a good reason to think deeply about being an educator and all that it entails. I hereby dedicate this blog to my ponderings on educational matters.

In the first chapter of Supporting Learning With Technology there is a quote that really caught my attention. It says, "Teaching is not a science; it is an art. If teaching was a science there would be a best way of teaching and everyone would have to teach like that. Since teaching is not a science, there is great latitude and much possibility for personal differences."

WHAT IS ART?

Bear with me as I think through this. If teaching is an art, I suppose I should first figure out what art is. What is art? Art can be classified as broadly or as narrowly as you desire. For example, you have visual arts which is a very broad category. It can be further categorized into paintings, which can be further categorized into a style of painting, which can be further categorized into a particular artist, which can be further categorized into a particular piece. You get the picture. So, I imagine art as being a very broad concept that is unique to the artist's area of specialty and the message he or she is wishing to convey.

TEACHING AS ART

Yes, it is important to learn the theories of the old dead guys like Piaget and Skinner. It would be silly not to because their methods have proven to be effective. I don't believe that those theories are the only effective methods. I would call constructivism the broad category of teaching as an art. It is an effective foundation. A canvas if you will... afterall, we are using the art analogy.

So how is teaching art? It takes talent to engage the students and keep them intersested in the day's objective. I chose the word talent and not skill, because anyone can learn a skill. Anyone can mimick the methods of someone else. I suppose that is teaching and perhaps it even takes skill, but it does not take talent. Teaching is art when it uses creative talent. A talent is a gifting, not something that can be aquired without a predispostion. This is where the art part comes in. I feel like the art of teaching is figuring out your gifting and using that to engage your students. Which means that my teaching will look different from the next persons. I get to include my own personality and creative style.

I suppose that is all for now. Until next time...

WORK CITED

Art image found at <http://www.wcasd.net/images/art.jpg>.

Egbert, Joy. Supporting Learning With Technology, Essentials of Classroom Practice. Washington State University, 2007. (pg. 4)