Mr. McClung's World
What I Learned This Year Volume 4
Mr. McClung, a secondary teacher, decided to write a blog about each year of his teaching. He noticed the first year he had a lot to write. When he began to write for the following years, he noticed it was pretty much the same. He was relying on old lesson plans and not coming up with new ideas. He remembered his experiences in school and didn't want to be a boring teacher. He began to worry about what his peers thought about his teaching style. Then he realized, it's not important what they think. What is important are the students.
Mr. McClung was an awesome teacher. He mentioned worrying about what your peers think, I find myself doing the same in college. Letting what others think can change the way you think and do things. I don't want to be that type of teacher. I want to focus on the students. Our biggest critic should be the students and of course the principal. Mr. McClung's rule was, "Are the kids having fun?" This will be a difficult task to make sure the kids are enjoying class.
What I've Learned This Year (2009)
Mr. McClung's theme for his first year was stay positive. I can imagine the first year of teaching can be discouraging at times. He gave some good advice on how to stay positive. He suggests teachers read the crowd focus on the children. Don't worry about how your peers view you, but how are the students viewing what you are saying. Next, he reminds teachers to be flexible. Thing don't always go as planned and sometimes flop. I can imagine this happening to me, but I will try to work with it and not let it get me discouraged. Don't forget to communicate, it is the pathway to building good working relationships. That is an awesome reminder. Sometimes, we want to stay to ourselves. We don't want in the drama, but it is all par t of communicating. He reminds us to be reasonable. Students might not meet "our" expectations. These are children and their not perfect, but learning. Our job is to encourage them to try again. Mr. McClung is not afraid of technology. He reminds us technology is our friend. Don't be afraid to use technology. Lastly, he says never stop learning. I want to be open to new ideas and challenge myself to do more.
Hi Kimberly,
ReplyDeleteI can definitely relate to feeling worried about what your peers think of you. I think it is only natural and is something we will just have to over come as educators! I also agree that the first year of teaching could be discouraging. We have no idea what to expect, and its exciting yet terrifying at the same time. I think you will do great, especially since you are open to new ideas and challenging yourself to do more. Well written post and great points!
"Thing don't always go as planned..." Things, not Thing
ReplyDelete"He suggests teachers read the crowd focus on the children." what does this mean? is something missing from this sentence?
" These are children and their not perfect, but learning. " Again, what was the intent here? Maybe they are instead of their? I think that is what you intended.
Learning Never Ends! Keep it up!