Mr. Mcclung talks about some very interesting points on what he has learned since he began teaching. He wrote this blog post in 2009, after he completed his first full year of teaching. It is basically like a list of “I wish someone would have told me these things before I started teaching.”
I feel like I can relate to this list because soon this will be me. The only difference is that I have this list to keep and remember. He had to learn all of this through experience.
Mr. McClung brought up a few major point about what he wish he had known, throughout his blog.
This is about keeping in touch with his audience, the students. He said try not to get caught up in trying to please people such as supervisors, but instead worry about the delivery of your lessons to your students. Student comprehension is the most important things. Your audience has to drive your instruction.
When you are teaching a lesson do not expect it to go exactly as planned. Different situations come up and you kind of just have to go with it. Try to make “Teaching Moments” out of the situations that do not go as planned. You can’t be in control of every situation. Smile and just move on. ☺
“NO LESSON IS EVER PERFECT. THE LESSON YOU TEACH AND THE ONE YOU PLAN ARE ALWAYS DIFFERENT.”
“Communication, as Mr. McClung states, is the best medicine.” In order to avoid workplace drama it is important to communicate. It helps resolve issues that are unneeded at your place of business. “Communication is the pathway to building that much desired rapport with fellow teachers.” Communication is something your must work on. It is also one of the hardest, yet most important skills to master.
Hold high expectations for your students but do not be discouraged if they do not meet those expectations every single time. No one is perfect and we must remember that that includes our students. When they don’t meet your expectations tell them it’s okay and encourage them to do better next time.
Students today are born in to a technological world. Technology is our friend and it is vital that teachers stay technologically literate.
Form relationships with your students. It will help them excel in the classroom. By listening to your students it lets them know that you care.
It is never too late for change. The world is constantly changing and as teachers we need to go with it. Don’t be afraid to branch out and try new things. Just because we are teachers doesn’t mean we know everything. We are pounding into our students’ heads how important it is to learn while we, as teachers, continue to sell ourselves short.
I really enjoyed this article and would recommend it to any teacher, not just a first year teacher.
Brandin, I thought this article was very effective for me, as well. I plan to use these tools in my own classroom. The one I found most intriguing was, "Be Flexible". I have a hard time with this one because when I have a plan I like to stick to it and teach everything I had prepared. This will be a hard lesson for me to learn but I think as time moves on, I will improve.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, children need to be heard. They need to know who's in charge, but they also need to know they are loved and cared for. Their opinion does matter. A child's opinion can help the teacher improve their strategies for what was beneficial.
I think,overall, we agreed on his points. Thanks for your post!
Hey Brandin,
ReplyDeleteThis was a very good summary of this post. What was you favorite part of Mr. McClung's post?
My favorite part is when Mr. McClung takes about how we shouldn't give our students extreme expectations. This can lead to frustration in the students and sometimes the students will just give up, which is not what we should want to do.
Stephen Akins