I am often humbled by my stupidity, my ignorance, and my social awkwardness. But I'm okay with that. After all, stuck-up people are the worst. The last time I was wrong was about fifteen minutes ago when I was studying for my french test and I mixed up "faire le marche" and "faire le menage". (Going shopping and doing chores are basically the same thing, right?) Earlier today, I spilled chipotle sauce on my pants, wrote down the wrong rhythm while doing a rhythm dictation, forgot to modulate during my ear training hearing, and told my friend to stop speaking in an Australian accent when he was actually trying to be British (that one wasn't entirely my fault). I am wrong a lot.
I think teachers need to be confident in their subject matter. They need to know what they're talking about and be ready to answer any questions the students have. However, I think that, on a personal level, they need to be humble. Weston Noble said that the best quality in a teacher is vulnerability, which I think goes along with humility. These qualities, I think, help students connect more to their teachers because they can see that they're human, too.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Collaborativeness
I think that effective teams are made up of people who are willing to listen and consider what others have to say. I think that the members of the team should be creative, interesting people, as well. In order to come up with out-of-the-box ideas, you have to have out-of-the-box thinkers. If you have interesting people who are willing to listen, I think there is potential for some great ideas.
In my experience, group work tends to be a group of people sitting around while one person does all the work. I think of collaboration as being more of a team effort, where everyone has input and puts forth effort.
In my experience, group work tends to be a group of people sitting around while one person does all the work. I think of collaboration as being more of a team effort, where everyone has input and puts forth effort.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Efficacy
Self-awareness, confidence, persistence, work ethic, and belief in one's ability are all super important traits which all teachers should try to acquire. I think it's kind of hard to lump all of these traits into one group, so I'll split them up. Clearly, I have excellent problem-solving skills. Here goes.
Self-awareness is an important trait to have as a human being in general, but it's especially important to human beings who happen to be teachers. It's always good to know how you're perceived. If students aren't responding to you because you're super lame, it's good to be aware of your lame-ness and do something to change it so they can relate to you better.
Confidence and belief in one's ability kind of go hand in hand. They are both good skills to have, because people tend to listen to people who seem to know what they're talking about. If students don't think that a teacher knows their stuff, they won't think that they have to know the material, either.
Persistence and work ethic good qualities for teachers to have, as well. Students are not always going to have an easy time learning material, or they may not want to learn the material at all. Teachers need to be persistent so their students will learn what they need to learn.
I think that all of these attributes are either learned or inborn. Belief in one's ability sometimes comes with time and experience. However, work ethic is kind of something people are born with, although I guess it could be learned.
Self-awareness is an important trait to have as a human being in general, but it's especially important to human beings who happen to be teachers. It's always good to know how you're perceived. If students aren't responding to you because you're super lame, it's good to be aware of your lame-ness and do something to change it so they can relate to you better.
Confidence and belief in one's ability kind of go hand in hand. They are both good skills to have, because people tend to listen to people who seem to know what they're talking about. If students don't think that a teacher knows their stuff, they won't think that they have to know the material, either.
Persistence and work ethic good qualities for teachers to have, as well. Students are not always going to have an easy time learning material, or they may not want to learn the material at all. Teachers need to be persistent so their students will learn what they need to learn.
I think that all of these attributes are either learned or inborn. Belief in one's ability sometimes comes with time and experience. However, work ethic is kind of something people are born with, although I guess it could be learned.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Inventiveness
I don't think that inventiveness and creativity are rewarded much in schools. For the most part, students are instructed to complete worksheets that ask questions taken directly out of the textbook and tested on said worksheets. They do projects created by the teacher with little to no autonomy involved in the process. Conformity, not creativity, is rewarded in schools.
I think this lack of creativity in schools is sad, because creativity is an incredibly important skill in the 21st century. Employers are looking for employees who can come up with new ideas and solutions to problems, not employees who look up the answer in a textbook. It is amazing to me that the American education system knows what employers are looking for, and yet does nothing to drastically change curriculum as it needs to be changed.
I think the best way to "teach" creativity is to incorporate autonomy in classwork. Let students choose their own method of completing assignments or let them create their own project. Teachers could also ask questions in class that force students to think out of the box--things that don't come out of a textbook. If students are given more freedom, I think they will flourish creatively and become more productive (and interesting) adults.
I think this lack of creativity in schools is sad, because creativity is an incredibly important skill in the 21st century. Employers are looking for employees who can come up with new ideas and solutions to problems, not employees who look up the answer in a textbook. It is amazing to me that the American education system knows what employers are looking for, and yet does nothing to drastically change curriculum as it needs to be changed.
I think the best way to "teach" creativity is to incorporate autonomy in classwork. Let students choose their own method of completing assignments or let them create their own project. Teachers could also ask questions in class that force students to think out of the box--things that don't come out of a textbook. If students are given more freedom, I think they will flourish creatively and become more productive (and interesting) adults.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Reflectiveness
I think that many teachers and students find it difficult to reflect on things because that kind of thinking isn't what we've been taught in schools. We have been taught to fill in blanks on worksheets and to use "process of elimination" on standardized tests. To just think about things and what they mean is a foreign concept to most people. This is sad, because reflection is a vital part of the learning process. Filling in blanks or bubbles with a #2 pencil won't necessarily help you remember things. Thinking and reflecting on a topic will actually teach students.
Personally, I reflect on things all the time. I don't really talk very much in class because it makes me a bit nervous, but I'm always actively listening and thinking about what we are talking about. That's why I think that "class participation" is a little bit overrated by most teachers and professers. Some students think and some students talk, and a few do both. I don't think that any one of these catagories is better than the others. But alas, I digress. I think that effective reflection can only happen when a student has really been stimulated by a lesson. If they aren't interested, they won't want to put very much thought into it.
Personally, I reflect on things all the time. I don't really talk very much in class because it makes me a bit nervous, but I'm always actively listening and thinking about what we are talking about. That's why I think that "class participation" is a little bit overrated by most teachers and professers. Some students think and some students talk, and a few do both. I don't think that any one of these catagories is better than the others. But alas, I digress. I think that effective reflection can only happen when a student has really been stimulated by a lesson. If they aren't interested, they won't want to put very much thought into it.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Passion
Passion is vital to being successful in any field, but in teaching it is especially important. Passion can make or break a subject for a student. I know that personally, I have had experiences on both ends of this spectrum.
In middle school, I hated choir. I loved to sing, but I couldn't stand being in choir. I would constantly watch the clock and I never seemed to be able to stand straight. My body seemed to naturally align itself in a cool, slouchy pose. I hated choir so much that, in eighth grade, I almost quit it. Then, for some unexplainable reason, when I registered for my high school classes, I chose to take choir instead of band. I really don't know why. I loved band and couldn't stand choir. None of my friends were joining choir. I just took it. It ended up being a life-changing decision. My high school choir teacher was amazing. She absolutely loved what she did. She told us once that even on her worst days--when the kids were snotty, the tenors were sharp, or we were running out of time before Solo & Ensemble--she would, on a scale of one to ten, give her job an eleven. She made me realize that choir is amazing, and because of her, I am a music education major. Her passion rubbed off on me and almost everyone else who took choir.
On the other end of the spectrum was my experience with English. I love English. I've always been a bookworm, and when I was five years old, I taught myself how to type with my dad's Mid-State (Tech College) typing program and began to write reports on things because I was disappointed in the lack of homework given in kindergarten. Needless to say, I was excited to come to high school and start taking harder English classes where the teachers would be excited about my love for literature rather than discourage me (like my sixth-grade teacher did when I started reading Jane Eyre) or think I was weird and a little nerdy (like some kids in my grade). However, I ran into the same thing all over again. One of my teachers picked on me for reading "difficult" books and suggested that I read the Twilight series. Need I say more?
While my bad English experiences didn't make me love reading and writing any less, it did prevent me from loving a class which I should have loved. In my eyes, someone who is passionate about literature should encourage others to read, or at least be excited when they do. And they should not encourage people to read Twilight.
In middle school, I hated choir. I loved to sing, but I couldn't stand being in choir. I would constantly watch the clock and I never seemed to be able to stand straight. My body seemed to naturally align itself in a cool, slouchy pose. I hated choir so much that, in eighth grade, I almost quit it. Then, for some unexplainable reason, when I registered for my high school classes, I chose to take choir instead of band. I really don't know why. I loved band and couldn't stand choir. None of my friends were joining choir. I just took it. It ended up being a life-changing decision. My high school choir teacher was amazing. She absolutely loved what she did. She told us once that even on her worst days--when the kids were snotty, the tenors were sharp, or we were running out of time before Solo & Ensemble--she would, on a scale of one to ten, give her job an eleven. She made me realize that choir is amazing, and because of her, I am a music education major. Her passion rubbed off on me and almost everyone else who took choir.
On the other end of the spectrum was my experience with English. I love English. I've always been a bookworm, and when I was five years old, I taught myself how to type with my dad's Mid-State (Tech College) typing program and began to write reports on things because I was disappointed in the lack of homework given in kindergarten. Needless to say, I was excited to come to high school and start taking harder English classes where the teachers would be excited about my love for literature rather than discourage me (like my sixth-grade teacher did when I started reading Jane Eyre) or think I was weird and a little nerdy (like some kids in my grade). However, I ran into the same thing all over again. One of my teachers picked on me for reading "difficult" books and suggested that I read the Twilight series. Need I say more?
While my bad English experiences didn't make me love reading and writing any less, it did prevent me from loving a class which I should have loved. In my eyes, someone who is passionate about literature should encourage others to read, or at least be excited when they do. And they should not encourage people to read Twilight.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Just Give it to Me Straight...
I am actually really excited to talk about authenticity in the teaching profession, because I think it is one of those subjects where most teachers tend to go to one of two extremes. Either they put a wall up in front of students and think of themselves as purely a lecturer, or they (like one of my high school history teachers) talk about their marriage problems and their depression medications. Apparently, teachers have a hard time finding a happy medium when it comes to being authentic.
I think the key here is to be real with reasonable limits. You want to be yourself in front of your students because in my experience, students respect teachers more when they feel like they know them. Kids can smell a faker a mile away. They know when a teacher is being overly cheerful or when they don't laugh at something funny in class to maintain their "disciplinarian" status. People tend to dislike people who aren't themselves, and less respect means less learning.
So how can we set limits? When do we make the transition from being an authentic person who students like to telling our students about how Walgreens messed up the dosage on our depression meds? Mainly, I think it's just common sense. If you have problems, don't hide them, but don't talk about them incessantly either. If the topic comes up somehow, maybe it would be a good thing to talk about what the experience is teaching you. After all, students don't only learn math and music from teachers; they learn about being good people, as well. Maybe you could help your students learn to find the positive side of bad situations.
There are other tricky situations, such as telling students your political views. I think it's important to be diplomatic. Don't only tell students your side. Show them the pros and cons of both sides, allow them to choose, and then tell them your own opinion if they want to know. That way, your point of view isn't the first one they hear.
I think the key here is to be real with reasonable limits. You want to be yourself in front of your students because in my experience, students respect teachers more when they feel like they know them. Kids can smell a faker a mile away. They know when a teacher is being overly cheerful or when they don't laugh at something funny in class to maintain their "disciplinarian" status. People tend to dislike people who aren't themselves, and less respect means less learning.
So how can we set limits? When do we make the transition from being an authentic person who students like to telling our students about how Walgreens messed up the dosage on our depression meds? Mainly, I think it's just common sense. If you have problems, don't hide them, but don't talk about them incessantly either. If the topic comes up somehow, maybe it would be a good thing to talk about what the experience is teaching you. After all, students don't only learn math and music from teachers; they learn about being good people, as well. Maybe you could help your students learn to find the positive side of bad situations.
There are other tricky situations, such as telling students your political views. I think it's important to be diplomatic. Don't only tell students your side. Show them the pros and cons of both sides, allow them to choose, and then tell them your own opinion if they want to know. That way, your point of view isn't the first one they hear.
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