Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Reflection 1

I have learned so much in this class already.  I realized that teaching takes a whole lot more than just giving the children information.  You need to present the information in an engaging way.  I really like how the book describes the four stages of teaching.  The first stage is fantasy where the teacher thinks all they need to do is be a friend to the student and just have fun activities.  I know I will struggle with this stage wince I want the kids to like me and want the to have fun.  There should be a balance.  In this stage, they do not talk about standards, accountability, or student performance.  The second stage is survival where they only view teaching as only a job.  They whine about their work conditions and they give the students busy work and basically come in to baby sit.  As I read this, I realized that I had several teachers like this through out my school years.  I do not want to be one of those teachers who are not passionate about what they do.  If I learn one thing about this class it would be to have passion and to show that enthusiasm to my students.  The third stage is mastery where the teacher has learned to manage their class room.  They set high expectations and they reach to make a difference, but never fully arrives.  The fourth stage is impact where the teachers are effective and actually make a difference in the students' lives.  These are the teachers whose students come back years later and thank them for influencing their lives.  This is the stage we need to all aaim for.  It will take some time, but if we truly care about making a difference then we need to put in that effort and follow through.

The three characteristics of an effective teacher are:
1. need to have positive expectations for student success
2. are extremely good classroom managers
3. know how to design lessons for student mastery

The words please and thank you are vital for a well managed classroom and makes a huge difference in how the students' respond. 

Overall, I think I have a long way to go to becoming a good teacher and I am willing to do that no matter how discouraged I may get.  

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