My first choice of Mr. McClung's blog to summarize and review on was his 2008-2009 post. His first year of teaching was in Noel, Missouri. Mr.McClung grew a lot through the year with more experience behind him now. One of his quotes is " In order to be effective you have to be able to let your audience drive your instruction." He stated that he become more concerned with what his superiors were thinking rather than his students. I agree with him that young teachers tend to do that in their first year or so since they are so nervous.
Another quote of his I liked was"No lesson is ever perfect. The lesson you teach and the one you plan are always different." I have not had experience where I am actually teaching so I can't say I agree but I will find out how true that is soon I hope. I also hope to follow his advice on always communicating with my coworkers.
He learned that year to not scold the kids for not being perfect to his standards but simply help them up if they don't reach that goal. Something we are learning in this class is to not be scared of technology and that all teachers should have enough knowledge about it to help and our students. Mr.McClung reminds us to listen to our students. That sounds so blunt but it is something I believe teachers forget to do. Finally he states that we should never stop learning. Even though we are the educator it does not mean we can't keep learning ourselves.
My second choice for Mr. McClung's blog was his last post for 2010-2011 school year. This year was a lot of first experiences for him. He was a teacher at the same school for two years in a row,a head coach, coaching cross country, and he taught computer applications. Mr. McClung sounds like it was an exciting year for him.
He talked about trying to please everyone but his students which is who he should have been trying to please first. Students should never get only half of us, if something is happening to you it should not affect how you teach. Mr.McClung reminds us to not let others bring down your optimism of something because no one is the same and not everyone has the same interests.
Mr. McClund states "I would much rather be the person that is an outsider because of my focus on my students than someone that seeks approval from other teachers in my building." I inspire to be that type of teacher. I don't want to follow the crowd to fit in, I'd much rather just concentrate on my students. I struggle with not taking over like on the keyboard metaphor he discussed because I feel like it is just easier for me to do the task. If I become a teacher and do all the work for them then they will never fully learn the material.
His last thought was that teachers should never become comfortable. If they do so they will just have a routine and not be passionate about their work. He has joined committees and other organizations to keep things upbeat to where he does not get boring.
Nikita,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your point that: "Students should never get only half of us, if something is happening to you it should not affect how you teach."
This really shows your dedication to being a teacher! You are also realistic in acknowledging that teachers are to be admired, but are people who go through real life events just like everyone else. What makes teachers admirable is when they can push through it and keep their attention focused on the students who are looking to them for usually not just instruction, but an example to follow as well.
Good post!
Carly