What I've Learned This Year by Mr. McClung
I thought that this was a great post for any teacher or teacher-to-be to read. Not only does Mr. McClung provide great insight to what your first year of teaching is really like but he also explains it in seven simple points.
His first point is "How to Read the Crowd." Here, he explains that you must teach for your audience not anyone else. Meaning that students may never grasp the material if it is not on their level or "wave of thinking." He stresses that you may want to impress your superiors with fancy lesson plans but in the end teaching is not about you, it is about the children.
His next point is "Be Flexible." Mr. McClung wants to remind everyone that things don't always go as planned. He says that "the lesson you teach and the lesson you plan are always different." Nothing is ever going to be perfect so when something goes wrong he says that you just have to keep a smile on your face and work with it.
Communication is another valuable tool to remember in your first year of teaching. He stresses that not only to you need to communicate well with students but also build a good rapport with other teachers. Communication always makes things go smoother.
Mr. McClung also says to be reasonable. As teachers we will always expect nothing less than the best from children. But, fact of the matter is that children are just children. Being reasonable means that it is okay to set high goals for our kids but if they don't achieve them we must still be able to "pick them back up and dust them off." Otherwise, we will just set them up for disappointment.
Another valuable trait to have in the first year is the ability to embrace technology. He says that adults everywhere are afraid of computers because they cannot know everything that there is to know about them at once. He says that learning about technology is a process. You just have to jump in and get on board, and then you will see how beneficial technology really can be.
A teacher must also be able to listen to her students. Having a true student-teacher relationship means knowing a little bit of background on each student. This can be beneficial in education because then the teacher knows how to approach her students in ways that they can understand.
Finally, his last point is the "never stop learning." His point is that we will be working in a learning environment so we must continue to learn ourselves. Though, the material may not change but the approaches to teaching the material can.
After reflecting on his post I found great tips that I will truly keep in mind as I grow into my professional career. I believe that his self-evaluation is something that every teacher should do at the end of the school year. It provides great insight upon what you are doing that is working great and what can be improved upon.
Kellie,
ReplyDeleteI think you really got and captured what Mr. McClung was trying to give us Teacher newbies. I agree that all teachers who are soon to be in their first classroom should read his post and I know it will put their minds at ease.
Excellent post Kellie!
ReplyDeleteThe ability to self evaluate is critical. Mr. McClung’s post is an example of the kind of reflection it takes to be a good teacher. As teachers we must constantly reflect on what we are doing, why we are doing it, and whether or not what we are doing benefits the students. I believe that as long as we do this and keep the students in the center, all of the rest of it will fall into place. SS