Mr. Joe McClung's first year (2008-2009) as a teacher was spent in Noel, Missouri. At the beginning of the school year, Mr. McClung felt he was controlling things way to much. He would beat himself up for lessons that did not go the way he planned. Over the year, he learned several different ways on how to improve his classroom and to help other teachers. The most important decision he made during the year was to stay positive. McClung learned how to create the crowd for reactions. Also, McClung learned that communication is the best medicine for teachers and students. He says that teachers should never stop learning. We do not need to be afraid of technology and give up. It is never to late to change your teaching style and thinking. Teachers need to listen to their students, because sometimes the teachers are the only people that will listen to them. Teachers need to be reasonable with their students and not make to high of expectations for them.
Mr. McClungs blog post gives a lot of excellent tips that I will use when I become a teacher. By reading the class, I will make sure every student understands the subject matter. All students should clearly understand the subject matter before the teacher moves to a different topic. I agree, that communication helps students and teachers trust each other. By communicating with my students, I will let them know I care. I will be there for my students to talk to. If a student falls short of the teacher's expectations, it can destroy the students confidence. I will be reasonable with my students and not give them excessively hard work. I will try to learn and teach my students about technology. Maybe the different forms of technology will help the students learn the subject matter better. By continuing my learning experience, I will have more intelligence on different subject matter and experiences. When I become a teacher, I hope to be like Mr. McClung and stay positive. I will not give up on myself. I really enjoyed this blog.
Mr. McClung
Mr. McClungs 2010-2011 school year was spent being a first experience head coach, first experience coaching cross country, and first year as a applications teacher. This year he learned that it is easy to get wrapped up with trying to please everyone. He said, he started to just be himself and not worry so much about the perception that others have of him. Mr. McClung said that we need to remember the main reason we got in this profession in the first place and that was for the kids. He talks about teachers taking control of the assignments and completing them for the students, because the students are having difficulties. If we do all the work for the students, they will not learn anything. Everyone is not going to be thrilled about changes. We cannot allow others to stifle our excitement and joy that we experience in teaching or in life. Teachers that had the fire and excitement for the teaching profession seem to somewhere lose the excitement along the way. He learned that not falling in line with the rest of the crowd and being an outsider is not a bad thing. He did not eat his lunches with the other teachers in the lounge, because he ate with his students. By doing this, he made a better connection with his students. McClung's says that comfort and security does not motivate individuals. Teachers need to step out of there comfort zone to reach out and help students. Teachers need to be involved in more activities around school than just being concerned about their classroom. The teaching profession needs individuals that are passionate and willing to exceed the demands of the regular teaching schedule.
This post has helped me realize that I shouldn't try so hard to fit in with all the other employees. The kids are the most important people I should be communicating with. I want to make a connection with my students. I agree that stepping out of our comfort zone will motivate the students more than just being plain and sticking with the same routine. Also, I agree that teachers need to let their students make mistakes and learn from them, besides correcting them 24/7 and giving them every answer. As a teacher, I should reach out to students in more ways than just in my classroom. I learned that I should relax and not over work myself. Also, that I should not get mad so easily when my class lessons do not fall in place like I planned.
Don't forget to proofread.
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