TEE Capture and Reflection 1

            What I have learned from school and other life experiences is that there is no greater feeling than to help someone else learn about something you are passionate about.  With that passion there must be training and practice in order to teach about it most effectively. 

            The readings from The First Days of School (Wong) are plain to understand, and the importance of being an effective teacher is laid out very clearly.  In the first chapter of part A, it points out that teaching is not your typical 9 to 5 job, and that in order to be successful you must know that as a teacher you have the power to change lives.  How you master that power is a process of doing things right consistently from the first days and weeks of each school year. In the book on page 4, I liked where it said, “Student achievement at the end of the year is directly related to the degree to which the teacher establishes good control in the very first week of the school year.” This makes perfect sense because you help the student realize what standards they can achieve.  Not only is helping students achieve greatness your main goal in teaching, but starting them along that path is most important of all.

            In the second chapter of Part A I enjoyed the equation on page 10, which reads, “Well-ordered environment + positive academic expectations = effective classroom.”  A well-ordered environment is completely in your control as a teacher.  In order to establish this kind of environment you must have classroom management skills that will fuel learning and provide the tools and motivation necessary for students to achieve success.  That success has to be defined, upheld and you as a teacher should always believe that every person you teach can and will achieve success. Being able to help each student get to that point requires you to master your lessons.  You must know how to design your lessons to make sure each student can learn a concept. With that you must also know how to check for understanding and evaluate in order to know that the students have mastered those concepts.

            The final chapters of Part A reiterated to me the importance of learning.  As a teacher you should be constantly learning in order to most effectively teach.  Listening to your co-workers and learning form their experiences can help you do that.  Along with others' experiences and examples, you must research your field and learn to teach from proven, research based practices.  In other words do what works best and know how to use all of the resources available to you, to help others learn effectively and achieve success.
            Today in class (9/4/12) Jeff used some example early in class to illustrate some points and lectured/ shared experiences that helped me understand his teaching philosophy. I learned a lot from what he taught and got excited to understand more, and learn hot I can teach, help, and change lives. I want to think more about what I want to be as a teacher. I will talk to my parents to understand their philosophies of teaching and see what they know to help me form my philosophy.