Thursday, November 14, 2019
Blog 1. What is a Good Teacher?
A thought I’ve had through the readings comes back to Chapter one. What Is Good Teaching? (p. 8-13) There has been an endless amount of times in my life whether I was a student or a Paraprofessional that the, “What is a good teacher/teaching,” has crossed my mind. What is good teaching? As I think into the question a little further. I wonder if teachers who went to school got straight A’s ,never showed signs of struggling, and homework and tests came easy to them where the good teachers and taught well. Is that what makes a good teacher in a classroom? The grades they achieved in school? Or is it the complete opposite teachers who go to college spend countless hours studying, always struggling, hanging on by a thread to get a B? Not only have I walked into classrooms as a student but I have walked into a classroom as staff. Funny part, I feel like you can tell how well someone does in class. Some like to expose their effortless abilities, some like to announce grades, while others stay quiet, do their work (help others out) and still feel not good enough.
As the readings continued another sentence stood out, and slightly upset me. Schools are about teaching and learning; all other activities are secondary to these basic goals. (p.5) In my day-to-day job this statement would never fly. By definition teaching is defined as Teaching is the process of attending to people's needs, experiences and feelings, and intervening so that they learn particular things, and go beyond the given. Not getting great grades and passing the next grade. Working at a behavioral school where students from kindergarten on. Yes! Kindergarten through 22 years of age attend. I have students that have been in jail more than school, adolescents that have been sexually abused by not only one but both parents, children in and out of foster care/hospitals, youth that were shot by siblings then ripped apart by DCFS after surviving the horrific accidents. Not to mention the ones that don’t eat unless they are in school, are so cold they can’t sleep at night, young children sleeping in closets because mom is staying with a friend and they have to hide. Yet, sadly a lot of those problems are just small compared to other problems youth have to adapt to.
So to go back to why the statement about, schools are about teaching and learning; all other activities are secondary to these basic goals.(p.5)I feel that there is absolutely no way, or should there be a way to teach a child that is coping with such trauma, that they can’t even function in a so called “normal” manner. In order for these children to be able to learn academically they have to feel not only safe, wanted, but they have to have a relationship with the teacher.
I have worked with teachers that have all their things together. Grades are always up to date, classroom clean, sub folder always filled (never used), desk spic and span, can teach(while being evaluated), looks great to people, and on paper. Also, always seemed to have time on their hands to gossip about staff, play games secretly on their phones, and always sitting behind their desks. However, when you talk to students and staff that work close to the teacher they know deeply that the children, parents, and staff feel disconnected from the teacher. Then there is a teacher you walk into a room, it might have a small odor, desk may be a mess, stacks of paper may be piling up, no sub folder, children may be a little out of hand. However, in comparison the teacher is never sitting, doesn’t take a break,is listening not only to the child but the parent/guardian who is constantly crying out for help/answers. The students are warm, fed, making relationships, they are off of technology, and being encouraged and not forced to learn. To me the teacher that seems a little unorganized is my superhero. They are showing compassion and giving the students the ability to learn.
I know as I continue my adventure in education, I have been placed where I have been for a reason. It has inspired me to look past a textbook or an iep. To realize that no matter what a teacher has taught through text or based a grade on. I have never had a teacher that I have witnessed give compassion for what people take for granted in life. I will take so many examples into consideration as I pursue my special education degree and hope with picking and choosing from my teachers, peers, and past and present students that I will be the best that God intended me to be.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I had the same thoughts about teachers getting straight A's. It seemed like, to me, all of my teachers also won a lot of awards and was always in the top band ensemble while they were at school. I always thought that teachers never had to struggle in school because of the fact they were teachers. I have learned that is not the case, especially with the different certification programs that are out there. The quote you put about schools are suppose to be about teaching and learning to me is also not good. Teaching, to me, is about inspiring a student. Is helping the student when needed. Teaching students the way of life. Learning about topics,which could interest them. Learning about the world that is around them. The world around them could be their community or another country. I also do praise you. I would not want to send them on that bus home knowing what home is. My day to day life, I have to deal with most behaviors, but I know that when I am sending them on that bus home they are going to loving homes where they do have people that care about their well being and will do anything for them. I agree with you that the student should have a good relationship with the teacher. If there are problems happening at home, school should seem like a safe place to them. It is all about how the teacher interacts with the students. This could either be asking them how their weekend was, or asking what is happening in their lives. Even asking about accomplishments they have for the week. Showing a student that you care is the most important thing someone can do. Most of the teachers I work with desks are either a mess or are organized. The one thing they do the same is how they interact with their students. They are always talking them. One of my students won award this last week, and the teachers all praised them. They felt a lot more confident after that. They are also always emailing parents when something good or bad happens at school. They always have that communication with them. The teacher should always show they care. That is the most important part of teaching.
ReplyDeleteI also believe that caring for the students well being needs to come first because if the student is faced with emotional or interpersonal problems they need help with those prior to being able to retain any information we are trying to teach them. I truly believe that but one of my fears as a future educator is the ability to be there for the one student without taking away from the rest of the class. I look forward to learning the techniques and/or skills to be able to always put all my students needs first. After graduated I will be teaching Elementary Education and in this type of classroom I agree with the text that the qualities of a good teacher are "having a positive interpersonal relationships (care about their students), keep a classroom organized and maintain authority without being mean, and being a good motivator" (p.92). I also feel that all educators should have a positive relationship with their students to foster learning.
ReplyDelete