This blog What I've Learned This Year, Mr.McClung talks about his first year of teaching. He talks about his expectations going into teaching and his realizations. He listed some tips that I feel would be very helpful to my future as a teacher. Mr.McClung made an interesting point that as he entered his first year of teaching, he focused so much on how his superiors viewed his teaching delivery that he forgot to consider how his students viewed his delivery. This was important to me because I know that even as a student I focus so much on the accuracy of my work, that I forget to consider the importance of the content I'm turning in. This was a great point that I will definitely take with me.
Another great point, was that no lesson plan is perfect and it we should always be flexible. If you make mistakes, then you should keep on going and "work with them." I had the misconception that teachers are expected to be perfect, when they enter the field. I see now the reality of teaching , that I never considered. Communicating with your students and peers helps you to have better relationships with both. Mr.McClung suggests that we should be flexible and as teachers we should always take into consideration that we are dealing with children and we shouldn't hold them to such high standards all the time. That is important and as teachers we should handle our students with care and understanding. Throughout this EDM class, we have discussed the use of and importance of technology in the classrooms. Mr. McClung just reinforces what we have learned about technology in the classrooms, by saying that we need to not be afraid of it and incorporate it into our classes. Another one of my favorite points he made in his blog post was that we must listen to our students. As a student, I have found that I have had teachers that have listened to me and that have not listened to me. This is important and lets students know that we are there for them. The last point Mr. McClung made was that teachers should never stop learning. Just because you have passed the necessary tests to become a teacher and went through the needed years of schooling, does not mean that you are done learning. The more you learn, the more your teaching styles can improve. Ultimately incorporating all of these different tips into your career as a teacher will help me become a better teacher!
What I Learned This Year 2010-11
Three years after the previous blog, Mr.McClung wrote What I Learned This Year (2010-2011). This post shows how he has grown as a teacher. His teaching expanded to becoming a coach and a computer applications teacher. I absolutely loved the quote that he put into his post that said,"Our decision making process should always be student centered and not centered around pleasing adults." This quote is simple but says a lot. I took from it that as teachers we may become so wrapped up in the opinions of their peers and their daily life problems, that we may lose sight that students are the main focus. Loved it! He also made a huge point by stating that we should always stay true to ourselves and our beliefs, even if the only person who believes with you, is you. That is important not only for teachers, but for everybody. "Never touch the keyboard!" Wow! Can you say powerful?! I love this statement because it basically says that we should let our students learn on their own and not do the work for them. Saving the best for last, my most favorite point of Mr.McClung's blog is that as teachers we should never get to comfortable. As a student I become bored with the same old, same old. So continually shaking up the lesson plans and techniques will be a vital part of my teaching. I never want to just get in a position where everything becomes a routine and ultimately boring. I admire Mr. McClung for his honesty and optimism. Out of all the things I've read in this class so far, I can honestly say his blogs were my favorite and I plan on taking his advice with me in the future.
First of all, I love your pictures! Second of all, though, there are a few grammatical issues you should watch out for. For instance using "to" versus "too," and there were a few instances where you had extra words in your sentences that didn't make sense. I like your content, though. I actually read the same two posts. I thought it would be cool to read his first and last one so I could see how he's changed. I also really love the quotes that you picked for your last paragraph!
ReplyDeleteKiala,
ReplyDeleteGood post. It appears Mr. McClung's blog has been very enlightening! Be sure to add alt and title modifiers to each picture. Refer to page 13 of the project section of the Instruction Manual for how to do this.