This week in class, we had four administrators
from CFHS come and speak to us. They
talked to us about what they looked for in a first year teacher. They stressed that teaching is a lifestyle
and not just a job. If we were in it for
the pay then perhaps we should consider a different job. They talked about how a teacher needs t be
willing and able to always improve his/her teaching and be open to working with
the administration to beter their teaching habits. They talked about how a teacher must be open
to learning about their students and finding ways to reach all of their
students. A teacher should always be
willing to find ways to give the students opportunities to learn and grow.
Other
things that were talked about was that a teacher should never become too
comfortable and always find ways to challenge themselves as well as the
students. What stood out about this part
of the discussion was a diagram the principal drew on the board. He explained that most teacher burn out
happened when the teacher operated in the danger zone, but the best teaching
happened in the risk area.
Elizabeth, I too thought this was a great panel. I actually think this was my favorite panel. I felt that we were really able to see the passion these administrators have for their job and the students in their schools. I could write a manifesto for them based on the many great points they made. I felt inspired and motivated after I left class. I think the most important things I took away was to not be afraid to venture out of my comfort zone and to be a willing, able teacher. The willing piece is definitely most important. Learn from our mistakes, be able to take criticism and use it all to be a better teacher.
ReplyDeleteHi Elizabeth,
ReplyDeleteThis was my favorite panel so far because these are the people that could potential be my bosses in a few short years. They are the ones that know the difficulties that teachers are having today and what steps are being taken to help them through the school year. I also felt that the diagram stood out during the discussion. In previous classes we talked about Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development theory and how students need to be challenged but not over or under challenged. There is a right amount of challenge that the student needs to be able to learn. I found it interesting to place this model on the teachers as well. Great teaching does happen when the teachers are in their risk zones. If they are too comfortable then they lose interest in their job and just coast along through the material without any challenge. Or teachers are in the danger zone and are over stressed and cannot enjoy teaching and being with the students. A teacher needs to be challenging themselves by trying new things and being open to the possibilities that the classroom offers!
Elizabeth, I also really enjoyed this panel. We both actually mentioned the same points in our blogs, so I guess we were thinking the same thing during the panel. I found this panel to be extremely motivating. They focused on some things that I had been worried about but also things I never thought about, such as the comfort, risk, and danger zone. I still think that I will need more help with classroom management and that this will be something I will learn in a classroom teaching rather than speaking in class. I feel like it's more trial and error than developing skills before entering a classroom. I will definitely be going to other teachers to hear about their techniques but like I said I think I will learn what works best for me and my students when I am teaching in a classroom.
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