Blog Assignment #9

What I Learned This Year- Volume 4

Mr. McClung begins his blog post by explaining how he began writing these reflective blog posts. He states that he received so much positive feedback from his first reflective blog post that he decided to continue. This post was reflective of his fourth year of teaching. He said that in his fourth year, he did not learn as much as he thought, so he decided to write about two underlying themes that stuck out to him that year. The first theme was that "You Gotta Dance With Who You Came to the Dance With." McClung said that in his fourth year, he struggled with his reputation as a teacher. He was well aware of his reputation among the students. However, he was concerned about how his peers viewed him as a teacher and the was he handled business. After reflection, he realized that he should not change who he is as a teacher based on what his peers may think of him. McClung said that he follows one rule now which is "are the kids having fun?" He decided that as long as he followed that one rule then he would not go down the wrong path again.

I agree with Mr. McClung and think that he makes a very important point. As long as he is following the guidelines and teaching the curriculum, he should not be concerned with the way his peers feel. Teachers need to do what is best for their students, and what works in one classroom may not work in another. As a future teacher, I need to remember to always do what is best for my students, and as long as I am teaching my students the curriculum, I do not need to worry about trying to please my peers as an educator. Instead I will focus on what is best for my students along with valuing the opinions of my superiors.

The second theme Mr. McClung learned in his fourth year was "Challenge Yourself." He noticed that he had become too comfortable with what he was teaching. The creativity was disappearing from his classroom, and he noticed that he had been teaching the same courses for three years. He then learned that he will teach a new subject and grade level next year. He said that he welcomed this change, and even though it will require more work, it will be worth it. McClung believes that if teachers get too comfortable that they ultimately become lazy, and the lessons begin to be uninteresting to the students. He views this change as an opportunity to better himself as a teacher, and his goal is to make sure his students enjoy coming to class.

I enjoyed reading this theme, and I think all educators should read this. Sometimes teachers choose to use the same lecture material and tests for several years. While this is an advantage to teachers, it is almost unfair to the students. As a future teacher, I need to adjust the techniques and materials I use with each group of students even if I am teaching the same course. Every classroom and every group of students are different, and the same techniques will not work with every student. I need to challenge myself and learn to evaluate myself as an educator to see what changes need to be made so that my students are enjoying learning.

What I've Learned This Year

The second post I read by Mr. McClung was What I Learned This Year (2008-2009). In this post, McClung outlined what he learned in his first year of teaching. He discussed an important fact that he learned which was to make your lessons student centered in order for them to be effective. Another important lesson Mr. McClung learned was to be flexible. He learned that the lesson you plan and the lesson you actually teach are always different. In his first year of teaching he also learned the importance of communication and being reasonable. He also encourages people to not be afraid of technology. He knows that you will not master a skill the first time you attempt it, but according to McClung, that does not mean you should stray away from ever using technology. He says that technology is essential to surviving in the society that we live in today.

I enjoyed reading this blog post; it was very inspiring. I liked how honest he was about the struggles he faced in his first year of teaching. I will definitely keep his tips in mind when I begin teaching. I know it will be essential that I am reasonable with the expectations I have for my students and how important it is for me to communicate with my students, parents, and my superiors. I plan to incorporate technology into my classroom, and I hope to always continue to learn and grow as an educator.