LITERACY LIVES READING REFLECTIONS While participating in Teaching with Text and Technology, I was given the challenge of setting literary goals for myself, recording a daily log of what I read, jotting down progress notes about my everyday readings, and reflecting on my weekly growth as a reader. I found the experience to be a great value to my development as an effective-reflective teacher.
9/16-9/20 WEEKLY REFLECTION: It's easy to see how misconceptions and misguided ideas can be easily believed. As an educator I must remember how to decipher between what is true and what isn't. Students who are from poor families or who are from different cultures can easily succeed and become extremely successful in life. We, as educators, must provide those opportunities to the students, but we also shouldn't be held solely responsible (which I think happens frequently). Parents should participate, and if not parents then extra support should be given to students who need it. Extra support can be for all kinds of children (ones with learning disabilities, cultural differences, little home support- which can be for children from rich to poor). We must also remember that it is not an easy thing to go home at the end of the day and pick up where we left off the next day. Creating memorable moments for all students requires teachers to put their time into lessons and lesson planning. Mentors can be really helpful for new teachers to help guide them and help them reflect on areas of improvement. I've learned that there are many different factors that go into effective teaching. In Ed. Psych. we talk about classroom management and teaching efficacy (knowing that what you do has value and importance). It all comes together in the end. The main thing I take from this is that some days may be challenging and a lot may hit at once, but never be discouraged. Our job is to help children grow and succeed in life, so let's keep that our main focus.
9/21-9/27 WEEKLY REFLECTION: Literacy and young children concludes by reminding us that one strategy for one group of students may not be effective on another group. The point is that the teacher must think carefully about the students' knowledge and how he or she can build from it. This means that each classroom requires different organization and management structures. Mem Fox cautioned teachers when she wrote, "We teachers need to put on our blinkers. We stop being critical of our own practice and theory and become converts to the latest orthodoxy, and we are so single-minded about it that we can't see the forest for the trees. We put our brains on hold, sneer at anyone who isn't an active convert, and purse our lips as if we are sucking lemons when any of our colleagues hangs on to a good idea from the past." Fox helps us see how narrow some of us are when adapting new strategies, and careless we are through dismissing successful strategies. I guess it's easier sometimes to take things with a grain of salt. As teachers know, teaching children to read and write is a complex process. Through all this reading I've realized how much children need us, and not only to guide them through their education. These kids need to be able to trust us and know that we are human too. Some kids may go through the day without ever feeling special, and our job is to make sure they know they are. I hope I never forget to be open-minded, to listen to students, and let them know they are great. This reading experience has been very beneficial to me. It was often hard to find the time to read, but once I did I felt great about my accomplishments. I want to continue reading things for my enjoyment (and to build in my content area) as often as possible. The reading experience has really helped me take a closer look at reading instruction and now has me thinking more critically. I need to remember that I will never know all the answers, and that excellent teaching emerges from planning and experience.
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