The first post I read was Mr. Joe McClung's
www.attheteachersdesk.blogspot.com" What I've Learned This Year (2008-09) . I really enjoyed reading this post because it is quite informative for those who are going into their first year of teaching. He starts off talking about being flexible. This becomes a problem when we have a lesson planned and want it to go exactly as we planed it. Mr. McClung states that no lesson is perfect. What we plan and actually teach are always different and we must learn to work through this. This, in my opinion, is a very good point. Personally I sometimes get so caught up with what I have planned, that I try to fight through it and keep things exact when it would be much easier if I got off my path and figured out my way back on. Mr. McClung also talked about communication. This is a huge factor in not just teaching, but in everyday life. Mr. McClung says it best when he states that "communication is the best way to resolve an issue in the workplace". Learning how to communicate effectively is so important, and although it is a difficult skill to develope, we should all work on it.
Mr. McClung mentioned the importance of embracing technology in the classroom. Our society is constantly changing and in order to provide the best for our students we must not be scared of change. We need to "jump in head first" as Mr. McClung said and let technology help us provide better opportunities for us and our students. Another main point Mr. McClung mentions is listen to your students. He is beyond correct when he says we need to take an interest in our students lives and listen to what they have to say. If we expect our students to listen to us and do what we say we must also show them the same respect. Lastly he says NEVER stop learning. What a great note to end on. We get so caught up in trying to get the students to learn that we sometimes forget we do not know it all! We need to try to find ways to increase our knowledge and remember every situation is an opportunity to learn something new.
The next year when Mr. McClung wrote
www.attheteachersdesk.blogspot.com" What I Learned This Year (2009-10) he wrote about his second year of teaching. He encountered many first including teaching jr. high students, teaching social studies and history, teaching three different subjects, and working in a large school district. Because Mr. McClung experienced all of these first, he had to learn to adapt. He was put in many uncomfortable situations and he had to get out of his comfort zone and embrace the new experiences. One change Mr. McClung faced was teaching two new subjects. This was a major obstacle because it was much easier for him to give the children busy work to get by than learn about the subject and how to teach it. Mr. McClung made it his personal goal to not become the "ghost of history teachers past" and to make history fun and relevant. Mr. McClung chose to adapt in a situation that many people often take the easy route. We must all learn from this and realize that when we find ourselves in a new or uncomfortable situation, we should explore all of our options and chose to change for the better and grow from it.
Mr. McClung realized that he was going to have to veer off his planned path when his students were not thinking for themselves. He found his students looking for him to give them the answer. Dr. Strange actually talked about this type of teaching on the first day of class. I think he referred to it as burp-back education. We must make our students think independently and come to a conclusion on their own or they are not learning anything. I also love the advice that Mr. McClung gave when he suggested every first year teacher find a school mom! It is a great way to learn the ropes and meet other people that may be able to help.
Over all Mr. McClung faced many new situations his second year of teaching but he did not let them get him down or lose sight of what his main focus was, the students.
