Blog Post #9

What I've Learned This Year
In Mr. McClung's post What I've Learned This Year he gave some great advice for first year teachers.  Any teacher who is about to have their own classroom for the first time is going to be excited/nervous.  The advice he gives is easy to read and understand, and definitely attainable for all!

In the first part of his post he talks about "how to read a crowd."  He mentions the importance of keeping your lessons "student centered."  It is easy to get distracted by the people watching you that you can forget what you are there for... to teach students.  I think this is important advice for any teacher to follow because the teachers that I learned the most from in school were the ones that actually made class about the students.  As a teacher you have to feed off of how your students like to learn.  To know this you have to be able to read the crowd.

As a control freak, and someone who lives their life through lists and plans, his section about being flexible really helped me.  He writes about how no lesson is perfect and we just need to go with whatever happens, make the best of the situation, and move on.  This is very good advice for someone like me.  I know it is something I will probably struggle with my first year of teaching as well.  I hope I can mentally prepare myself now, and learn to just let things happen.

Mr. McClung also talks about communication.  I think that communication is the key to life, so naturally, the key to effective education as well.  It is extremely important to have good communication with not only your students but also the people you work with.  Everyone should grow and learn together, and the best way to do this is to proficiently communicate with everyone!  Plus, everyone likes a positive learning environment.

Be reasonable!  Do not get upset or discouraged if your students do not always meet your expectations, or they will get upset and discouraged.  Teachers really do need to realize that our students are not perfect and we just have to support them and encourage them as best we can.  If you give up, so will they.

And then there was technology...  Mr. McClung talks about how essential technology is in schools today.  He says that we should not be scared of it or give up on it, before we start to learn about it and how to use it.  After taking four weeks of EDM310 I can honestly say he is right.  Technology is essential in our society today and we do have to embrace it, and use it.  We should not be scared of it, and we should do our best to incorporate it into our classrooms.

Mr. McClung also talks about listening to your students.  I think this is so important because knowing your students and how they like to learn will make their learning experience so much better.  When you listen to your students they will know that you care about them and respect them, and they will respect what you have to say in return.

The last thing he writes about is "never stop learning."  I agree that this is really important for teachers to remember.  There is constantly new information in the world and teachers should constantly be learning along with their students.  He says that it is never to late to change your thinking, learning, or style. If you find something that works better, or makes more sense, why not switch up your way of thinking and learning.  Your students can also help shape your teaching style if you take the time to listen to them and really know what they like.

Mr. McClung gives some great advice in his post, and I think all soon to be teachers should read what he has to say.  It has made me feel a lot better about the whole situation, and has given me some different perspectives that I never thought of.