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Reflective Paper

My educational stance as I entered the program:

When I entered the program, this is what I liked and where I stood.

My students are a valuable part of class!  I read a list of five goals in a book by a man named Stevenson that I want my students to follow.  The list is as follows: “an intellectually reflective person, a person en route to a lifetime of meaningful work, a good citizen, a caring and ethical individual, and a healthy person.”  I am becoming a teacher to devote myself to America’s future.  I want to be a positive and encouraging influence on students.  I want them to come into my class and learn these five goals every day.  I think this will be one of my strengths; I feel like I can help my students accomplish these and other goals.

Three talents I will use to help my students accomplish these goals are creativity, enthusiasm, and devotion.  The creative part will come in when we do lessons.  My students will be using lots of hands on materials to complete group inquiry activities.  I also plan on using my creativity in more eccentric ways like in class lectures and pep rallies/after school activities.  I plan on using my enthusiasm to convey my love for science and math.  I also plan on using my enthusiasm to make positive comments toward the students.  I want a room full of encouragement and positivity-not just from me.  I will expect only beneficial comments from my students.  Hopefully, through my enthusiasm for my students and my creativity with lessons, they will know I have a true devotion to them.  They will know that I want them to succeed.  I plan on helping them succeed by using patients and direction-not increasing their learned helplessness.

When my students are successful, I will have several positive reinforcements for them.  I love stickers, and I would like to put stickers on papers that receive high marks.  Papers that are well done will also be posted.  I would also like to create incentives toward behavior (this will be discussed further in classroom management).  I think a Fun Friday activity would be nice to organize for the students who turn in all their assignments and behave during the week.  I think this would be a nice incentive for the students.

On the last day of school, I will know my program has been successful because my students will have learned math and science, not just facts.  I want my students to leave with some working knowledge of the subjects, not just a bunch of random information.  I picture my students leaving me on the last day of school and they are sad and happy.  They will be sad because the most exciting year of school is over and happy because it is summer break!

The three main beliefs that I will never abandon about middle school instruction are a believe that materials presented in the classroom should be relevant to students' lives outside the classroom, a belief that class lessons can be interesting and varying (not just lecture and note taking), and a belief that all students can learn if you take the time to find their angle.  Through my current experiences in school settings, the bulb that lights above a student’s head is my most proud moment.  I get so excited when one of my students say they really understand.  Even if it took three versions of the same story, it is worth it!

If learning is not occurring in my class, it bothers me.  When I substitute teach it bothers me when the teachers gives me stacks of busy work to assign to the students.  Most of the time I hear a lot of grumbles.  I understand that my students will grumble, but I do not want it to be because they are being overloaded with busywork.  I’d prefer that their grumbles be over my high expectations!  And the only way I can keep high expectations is to have support from my students, my team, parents, the community, and the administration.  To keep this support, I plan on keeping the lines of communication open.  I plan on writing parents to keep them updated about their child’s progress, having planning time with my fellow team members to keep the creativity flowing, and running plans by the administration.

How I used courses, colleagues, conferences, and other experiences to shape my thinking about teaching:

From my substitute teaching and student teaching, I decided that classroom management would be the biggest thing I would take away from other teachers and conferences. These "learning situations" have helped shape some of my thoughts about teaching. To me, classroom management is a make or break event in the classroom.  I think a teacher should open the first day of class with set standards.  These standards should remain consistent throughout the entire year.  The rules should be simple and few.  Rewards and consequences should also take place.  For example:

 Rules

1.      Follow directions the first time given

2.      Keep hands, feet, and objects to yourself

3.      Be in class on time with materials ready

4.      Respect yourself, fellow classmates, and school officials

5.      Be ready to learn at any time

Rewards

1.      Verbal praise

2.      Positive notes

3.      Special events (Fun Friday)

4.      Letter home

5.      Stickers

 Consequences

1.      Verbal warning

2.      Silent lunch

3.      Isolation

4.      Letter home

5.      Detention

6.      Office referral  

The rules I have stated are common rules used in Lilburn Middle School in Gwinnett County.  They are simple, few, and to the point.  I should not have to repeat myself three and four times.  When directions are given, they should be followed.  Rule number two is just plain mandatory.  No one has the right to physically bother another student.  Rule number three will be important because class needs to be well managed, and if I supply the structure, they will be expected to follow it.  Rule number four is important because I have a very strong belief in respect.  I want my students to feel like they belong.  My classroom should be a place where they feel safe and loved.  The world today is cruel, and my classroom should feel like a home and a safe haven.  I will do my best to create a positive and safe environment.  Kids should feel like they can speak freely and have what they say listened to.  I will not allow any harassment or name-calling.  Middle School can be such a turbulent time, and I want my room to help raise ones self-esteem, not bring it down.  Lastly, rule number five, if follow will enable us to have a well run and focused classroom.

Recently, I have been reading Harry Wong’s book The First Days of School.  He suggests that teachers start the first day with a seating chart.  I think this is a good idea because the students will know where they belong the first day.  I will also follow his suggestion and have an assignment on the board every morning for the students to get on track first thing.  From my experience as a Gwinnett County sub, this is a good idea because the kids usually come in and talk and goof off.  If there is some sort of work on the board, the can start their day off focused.  

Fun Friday is an idea I got from Coile Middle School.  I would like to see it instituted on my team.  The idea is the kids work hard to stay on task and behave to receive 30 minutes of supervised free time on Friday.  I think this idea gives the kids some initiative to do well all week so they can get some time off for good behavior on Friday.  These are just a few of the ideas I have for my classroom.  When I get actual experience with my own room, I will be able to expand this base model. 

What I now believe and think about the job of teaching and the state of the profession:

I think that the job of a teacher is the most important job next to a parent. What job influences the future more than a teacher? I also think it is one of the hardest professions that a person can go into. When you are teaching, you never quite finish a task. A good teacher is always thinking about how they can improve on what they just taught for the next set of kids. Even when you go home at night, you are grading papers or planning the next days lesson. I also think that teaching is the most important job I will ever have. To be able to go in and interact with kids on a day to day basis is an incredible responsibility. I want to be one of those teachers that the kids look back and say, Mrs. Jenkins made Math and Science fun and exciting. I do not want to be the teacher who turned a child off to a subject; I want to be the teacher who made the subject understandable and valuable. 

Unfortunately, with so many teachers in the news for doing less then reputable things with students, the teaching profession has come under fire. I regret that teachers are getting a bad name for these acts. There are so many wonderful teachers and very few perpetrators, but when it is consistently in the news, people start making jokes and comments. I also do not appreciate people's attitude toward teachers when they say things like, "Those who can't teach" or comments about people teaching just for the holidays. I never considered the holidays when I decided to teach. I was thinking about the kids and being a great role model. There are teachers who teach because of the time off, but they should not be considered a reflection of the average teacher.

What I hope or expect to do over the next several years of my professional life:

The next years for me are going to be VERY exciting! I will be graduating in August of 2002 from Georgia State University with a Masters in Education with a focus in Science. Then in January I will begin looking for my first full time teaching position. I am going to submit my resume to elementary and middle schools in the Gwinnett County area. I am certified to teach 4-8, and I would love to start with anyone of those grades. I would love to teach math, science, and/or computers. My love for computers will eventually lead me to get a Specialist in IT for Education in approximately three and a half years (after I get some teaching experience). I would like to take a class on positive ways to manage a class-this was unfortunately never taught to me in undergrad. If there is not a class available, I would like to interview other teachers about their strategies. I also plan on exploring building a class web site when I get students so they (and their parents) can keep up with class outside of class. I played a lot of sports in high school, and I coached in college; so, I am considering coaching again when I start teaching. I am very excited about the years to come!