Blog Post 9

In Mr. McClung's What I Learned This Year (2010-11) he explains what happens after his third year of teaching and how there were many changes such as; first time to spend more than one year at the same school, first time head coach, first experience with cross country, and being a computer applications teacher. One thing he mentions that meant a lot to me is to know who your boss is. What he explains here is that it is important to know who is above you, but it is more important to service our children. One quote that stuck out to me was "Our decision making process should always be student centered and not centered around pleasing adults."
Another thing he mentions is that he is an optimistic about new ideas and if we are the same way we don't need to expect other people to be that way. I think that relates to this class, and specifically to me. I did not want to try new things and this class has opened up my eyes to new ideas such as learning and teaching strategies. The next thing he mentions is to not be afraid to be an outsider. Basically, he tells us not to be afraid to be set apart from the rest of the staff. I know I have been giving quotes but this one really explains how I feel as a future educator, "I would much rather be the person that is an outsider because of my focus on my students than someone that seeks approval from other teachers in my building."
The next thing he talked about is to 'Not touch the keyboard'. What this means is don't take over a project for a student. Instead give them the tools needed to succeed and set them up for success. The last thing is to 'Not to get to comfortable' and what this means is to not get too settled in your ways and coast on what your doing as a teacher.
In What I Learned This Year (2008-09) Mr. McClung talks about what happened after his first year of teaching. The first important lesson that he talks about is 'learning to read the crowd.' What he means is that instead of trying to impress the other teachers with the content of the lesson, we as teachers should be "reading the crowd" (students) to see if they actually understand what you are presenting. The next important thing he explains is to remember that no lesson is ever perfect and that we should be flexible and open-minded to change.
The next important thing he talks about is to communicate. Not only with your fellow teachers, but with your students as well. Another thing is to never put your expectations too high for your students. I can agree with this because if you do that, then more than likely you are just setting them up to fail. The next thing he says is to not be afraid of technology, and I believe that is what the hardest part for me will be. Honestly, I am starting to enjoy it. The last thing he talks about I think goes hand-in-hand and that is to listen to your students, and never stop learning. By listening to our student it helps us to learn and it also helps us think of more effective ways of teaching. Also, just because when we become teachers that does not mean we know everything, so we need to be open minded and willing to learn.