In this post McClung describes how he has never really cared what his fellow teachers thought of him, but rather, has only been concerned with whether or not his students were enjoying themselves. I think this is a great mentality to have as a teacher. After all the students are the most important aspect of education. But I did think it was great that Mr. McClung also admitted that he had become bored. He was referring back to previous lesson plans and he says his "creativity started to slowly vanish." Because of this he jumped at the opportunity to teach a new class at a new grade level.
I know that as a teacher this is something I will struggle with. I like to be comfortable and I don't care for change. I would definitely be hard for me to leave a grade I was comfortable with and start over in a new one. But I do recognize how extremely important it is for the teacher to stay enthusiastic about the subject matter because if they aren't, then why would the students be? They are watching for an example and it is our job as teachers to give them a good one. One that is excited about learning something new every day.
Next, I chose to read Mr. McClung's What I've Learned This Year (2008-2009). It is probably obvious why I chose this one. I wanted to know how he described his first year of teaching! The first year of solo teaching is a daunting thing to imagine and I was curious.
In this post, McClung lists the first thing he learned as "Read The Crowd." I think he makes an excellent point when he says, "In order to be effective you have to be able to let your audience drive your instruction." As a teacher, one has to pay close attention to the audience (the students). It doesn't matter in the slightest if you spent three days of meticulous work on the lecture you plan to give, if all of your students are sound asleep. I think it is far better to be in front of the room rambling off the cuff about the subject if your students are engaging in the conversation with you.
The next point that I liked was, "Be Reasonable." Here McClung discusses the idea of expectations. It is important as teachers to never set our expectations for our students TOO HIGH. When the expectation is too high to be met, the students get discouraged and give up. I know this to be true because as a student I find myself here quite a bit. Now, there is a difference between setting an unreachable expectation and constantly raising the bar. We should always try to employ the tactic Mr. Randy Pausch mentions in his last lecture. Set the goal and when the students meet it, praise them, but make it clear that they can do even better. And then raise the bar a little higher. I like this method. It encourages hard work. It does not discourage, demotivate, or frustrate.
Of course I appreciated Mr. McClung's mention of embracing technology. After all, that's why were here right?
The last point that struck me was "Never Stop Learning." As I mentioned before, it is important for us to set the example of being excited about learning in order to motivate our students. It is also incredible important to our usefulness as teachers. The inventory of our knowledge can never grow stale. We should always be informed. Sometimes we gain more knowledge form our students than they do from us. And that is okay.
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