Blog Assignment #9

What I Learned This Year - Volume 4 (2011-12)

After reading "What I Learned This Year - Volume 4 (2011-12)" , it has made me realize to be the best teacher I can be. I must not let my peers define who I am or change who I am. As Mr. McClung asks, “are the kids having fun?” This is the rule he said had gotten him to where he is. Mr. McClung’s statement saying to remember who you really work for is absolutely a great motto for me to remember as I enter the classroom.

In addition, Mr. McClung challenges us not to get comfortable. Being in a routine and never trying new things will make you a lazy teacher. As this happens, kids do not enjoy your class. His advice is not to use old lesson plans because then your creativity will slowly wither away. We, as educators, have to choose to be a better teacher each day. Mr. McClung made this choice because he wanted to be the best for his students. What an inspiration!

These blog posts from Mr. McClung’s teaching experiences have been incredibly inspiring for me. I hope I can take what he has learned, taught, and experienced with me as I enter my teaching journey.

What I've Learned This Year (2008-09)

I chose to read Mr. McClungs "blog" on his reflection of his first year of teaching. Learning to read the crowd is a skill that I had to learn in my years of coaching softball. Mr. McClung says to best benefit my students I have to know if I am reaching them. I could always tell when my softball girls were confused about a skill I was teaching before they ever even asked a question. I would see these blank stares and know that this was a skill I would have to reteach.

Mr. MClung's second point is that he had to learn to be flexible. This is where I think I will have some trouble. I am a very organized person, and I do not like when things do not go as planned. As a teacher, I have to expect that something will go wrong every day. Mr. McClung also discussed the idea of communication. I think communication with students is important, but I also think that communication with their parents is equally important. I know that I will be in contact with parents who do not care, but I know that there are parents that truly care about the education of their child. If we communicate the problems or dilemmas we have in our classroom, many parents would be more than willing to help fix the issue. As Mr. Mclung talked about be reasonable with expectations of his students, I learned that what I want a student to do and what a student is capable of may be two completely different things. Mr. Mclung says not to ever be afraid of technology. Students today have access to every type of technology imaginable. We must use this to our benefit.

Although there were a lot of valuable interesting thoughts in his blog, the idea that stuck in my head was that no class, no instructor, nor a book could ever prepare me for what exactly I will come in contact with in my classroom. Every district, every school, and every student will be different, and I must be willing to change the way I think, act, and teach to best benefit my students.