Blog Post #9

Mr. McClung 1st Blog Post:

Mr. McClung has shared some good ideas on what it takes to be a good teacher and overcome obsticals as a starting out teacher in these two blog post May27,2009 What I've Learned This Year (2008-09) & June 15,2012 What I Learned This Year (2009-10). It sounds like, being that he was new, felt a lot of pressure and felt that all eyes were on him and that he had to prove himself early on. He states that he began to lose a connection with the students. He became too focused on himself and missed the overall picture, teaching. This is understandable, because as a new teacher, I could see that there is a lot of pressure to perform.

Even teacher make mistakes, Mr. McClung makes this clear. Not every lesson will be a perfect lesson, but you can always build on it from feedback from students or grades, and turn it into something better next time.

Everyone wants to avoid confrontation in the work place but we all know that will never happen. We as teachers must work to promote synergy in the work place. Having good relationships with fellow teachers can lead to a more productive year and a better atmosphere.

It is apparent that Mr. McClung has connected with his students more as he’s matured as a teacher. He admits that he had too high expectations that proved to be unattainable. I believe that as teachers we all want our students to perform at their optimal level but in reality, that just doesn’t always happen.

I agree with using technology one hundred percent. Technology has exploded in recent years and has no end in sight. Laptops are on almost every desk now. We as teachers must learn to master this technology so we can implement it in the class rooms effectively. Such as slide shows to more advanced things like computer aided design.

Communication with students is important. Mr. McClung says that one student wrote him saying, I feel the teacher cares about me as a person when he listens to me as a person. We can all learn something from this because at one time or another we have all felt ignored and overlooked by some teachers. That leads to discouragement which is very counterproductive, and will ultimately leave the student feeling like they are less than adequate.

I found it amusing and interesting that he finds what he calls a “School Mom” that basically lets him under her wing while he adjusts to the junior high setting. I think a lot can be said for finding a mentor and this circle’s back to having good relationships with your fellow teachers.

The scope and sequence portion of his post also struck a nerve with me, because I too believe that I focus more time and energy on  the subjects that interest me as opposed to being more well rounded.

Mr. McClung makes a good point about never stop learning. The students never stop learning so why should we as teachers? We don’t know everything. Our credibility as teachers is based solely on the fact that we know more than the students themselves. Therefore we owe it to them to continue learning and growing as people ourselves.