Friday, December 11, 2009
Last
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Resilience
The numbers of people that change their profession only a few years in is very big. It's understandable, though. We can't expect to like everything we dive into. However, job-changing occurs largely because people were not aware what they were getting into. As teachers, the more we volunteer in classrooms and observe and student-teach, the more we will have an awareness of what we will be dealing with once we are in charge of a classroom of our own, and the more time you have to think if you really want to enter the field or not.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Humility
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Collaboration
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Efficacy
If you have self-awareness, this will help because you go about tasks in a conscientious way, knowing what the consequences and outcomes of your actions will be. Confidence is vital due to varied and sometimes crazy teaching environments; kids love to find weakness and will find ways to prey on it. If confidence is exuded, than you will be more likely to be respected. Persistence will allow you to keep working at something until you find the right way to do it, this will apply to your classroom in many ways. For instance, getting through to students or understanding them is hard, so not giving up is essential, you just have to persist until you find the right approach. Work ethic goes along with this well. Teaching doesn’t just stop once you step outside of the classroom. It’s important to stay professional around co-workers as well as in your community to establish respect. Showing up to kids sporting events and concerts is equally important to show further interest in kids lives outside of the classroom, that way, relationships have the ability to form.
These attributes are mainly developed through practice. In all that we do now in the present, we must be mindful of these qualities. The more we revert to them in everyday life, the more natural they will become to us.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Creativity
Listening to Sir Ken Robinson speak out about Creativity in schools has really got my mind working on what he said. He made amazing points. He said that we need to come up with a better way to educate our children with their whole being, not just from the "waste up slowly moving to only one side of the brain" type of education. I see myself as a very creative person, and definitely thrive in outward environments where I can do and say creative things. This has not always been a nurtured side of me. In fact, it was often squished in high school. It is my nature to be outgoing and creative, so I've learned to nurture it in the ways that I can.
It’s of extreme importance that we equip kids with the skills they are going to need in the 21st century and beyond. They are going to have to think innovatively and intuitively more and more as more problems we try to solve go unsolved and they have to pick up our slack. Ways to encourage this are to allow kids to come up with lots of ideas in regular class settings, and discuss pros and cons of all. Imagination is bountiful in fresh minds, and this should be utilized! Encouraging kids to think outside the box every day will play a huge part in their creative thinking growth.