"Wise Teachers Make Learning A Joy"
-Chinese Proverb
-Chinese Proverb
Assignments:
- Read the introduction and through page 11 of the text.
- Please reflect on any ahas or main points.
- Share what you are already doing in your classrooms or daily lives that foster a "Fun-damental" Attitude.
- After going over the Pop Quiz on pages 10 and 11 reflect on your personal results.
Click on comments to add your thoughts, feelings and ideas
Laughing vs Limiting Teaching Style: My reflection is than I do a lot of the good things a lot of the time. However, good things are more likely to take place the 1st period of the day than the 7th period of the day. It is much easier to deal with the first 6-8 mis-behaving/under-motivated youth who get sent out of class and end up in my office on any given day, than it is to deal with any additional youth who may get sent out of class. It is easier to deal with a mis-behaving youth who is in my office for his 1st or 2nd visit of the day, than it is when he is on his 3rd or 4th visit. By the 3rd or 4th visit my humor, patience, etc. have pretty well been used up. First visit we have a talk, discuss the choices that he made and alternative choices that he could have made but didn't. 2nd visit is still cordial; 3rd and 4th visits are often brief and frequently end with:
ReplyDelete"When I see more of you than I do my wife and my own kids, one of us needs a vacation." "Since I need to be here to deal with youth who get sent out of class for mis-behavior, it's you who will be taking the vacation". "I'm sending you back to your living unit; you'll spend the rest of the day in your room". "If I see you in my office tomorrow, that will indicate to me that you need a longer vacation, fortunately with the economy the way it is providing you with a private room which includes a toilet and sink in your room is not a problem." (they know that means a 2-3 day trip to one of our secure detention units) Many of the youth get sent to the office because of excessive non-stop talking. My conversation with them usually goes like this: "If you're good enough at talking some radio or TV station will you pay you to do it; if you're not being paid then you're not skilled enough at talking to be doing it during class time." "Just remember no one ever learned anything when they were talking, only when they were listening."
I found the section about the two Social Studies teacher very interesting and familiar. It's fascinating to how one situation can create such vastly different reactions. I try to be more of the enthusiastic and flexible teacher when working with my students. There are times when I am about to tell them it is too loud, but then I stop and listen and it's actually "learning noise" and they are engaged in meaningful discussions. Moments like that I feel proud that I've "looked before I've leaped" so to speak. I try to refocus myself when I get agitated over issues and remember that in the big scheme of life, it really isn't registering a 10 on the "major problems of life scale". I feel that I have a good balance of laughter/fun/humor and learning in my classroom. My students are easily "reeled in" when we get too carried away. Having a class that can handle humor also makes it more fun to experience laughable moments.
ReplyDeleteAfter taking the pop quiz, I am excited to introduce "Future Teacher of the Year"...thank you, thank you very much! I found nearly all of the statements to be on the left side, however I took the quiz on the first night of our Easter break too! Perhaps it would be different in a week or two.
Hmmm should I be politically correct? Politically correct me would see this section totally in black or white---a very horrible teacher or the perfect teacher and students as a delightful group of learners or an unruly group of troublemakers. I've lived and taught long enough to know that there are many shades of gray. The students with all the energy that I can't redirect do frustrate me. The educational system--red tape, tests, more tests, paper work, lack of follow through, and hoop jumping does frustrate me. But --and it's a big but!--I still love what I do. I love seeing the light bulb go on for students and hearing their fresh laughter. Stepping into my classroom each morning still makes everything better for me so I know I am where I should be and all is well.
ReplyDeleteI work hard to model a positive and fun attitude every day when I am with my students. Throughout the day, I am usually able to turn situations around and/or add some fun to our activities. On some days, however, keeping that attitude is quite challenging, especially when dealing with the same frustrations for (what seems like) the millionth time! Typically, the adults and the “educational system” are much more likely to have a negative effect on my attitude than are the students.
ReplyDeleteEach morning, I incorporate a little fun into our routine when I ask a student to share a joke or riddle with the class. Some of the jokes/riddles really tickle their “funny bones,” and I encourage my students to share them with someone at home. When I feel that my students need a break or are getting restless, we might play a quick game or get up and do some silly stretches. Watching them laugh and play makes me smile!
I found the choices on the quiz to be very extreme. For some items, I felt like I was more in the middle. Overall, I would say my style is more “laughing” than “limiting.” Being able to relax and smile a lot is sometimes a challenge, especially when I allow myself to dwell on what went wrong or when I feel driven to accomplish more than we can get done in a day.
I am happy to report that most of my answers to the quiz were on the left side. There were several that I wanted to mark "in between" but for the most part I seem to fall into the laughing teaching style. I do look forward to going to work and when I have a "bad" day, generally the next day all is forgotten and I am ready to go again. Being a substitute teacher, you have to have a sense of humor to survive. One of the things that I like to do is magic. I have several tricks that I have on hand (which I have acquired from my oldest son) that work quite nicely to grab attention. Another thing that works well for me is this: Generally within the first 5 minutes of being in classroom I can determine the person that I think might be a discipline issue. I make a joke that I am pretty sure will get him/her laughing then the rest of the classtime is a breeze. Laughter is such a stress reliever. There have been several troubled students that I have worked with over the last 10 to 15 years and laughter has been an invaluable too. When you can share a laugh with someone it has a bonding effect.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the introduction and taking the quiz, I was not surprised to find that I rate about 98% on the positive side (nobody’s perfect). What really got me thinking though is wondering if this because it is a natural or learned trait. I’ve always considered myself to be a positive individual and have been noted as such by colleagues. But reflecting on my upbringing, it was a fun and nurturing environment. My parents expected the best, but always conveyed the belief that it was attainable. They provided endless opportunities for me to grow and excel in all areas: sports, academics, and creativity.
ReplyDeleteI’m thinking that the students with similar backgrounds will fortune in the same fashion. It is the “at-risk” students that really need an outreach. I think all students will benefit from a positive, fun –filled learning environment. However, those suffering from environmental neglect would benefit even more.
Creating a relaxed, fun classroom environment will be a positive contribution to all students and teacher well-being as well. Although I am not a regular education classroom teacher, I believe I convey that attitude in my daily lessons and will strive to achieve that atmosphere in the library (when we have one) next year. I do believe a positive attitude is contagious, just like a smile.
After reading Tiff's post,I'd like to comment that her class is one of the most enjoyable that I work with as a special area teacher. I have found that they have an equal balance between learnig & fun. I compliment Tiff on the work that she does with her students in the classroom, as it carries on beyond the walls.
ReplyDeleteWhen taking the quiz, I also felt inbetween on some of my answers. I want to be that easy going, fun teacher that everyone loves. I also, want to make sure that the class can focus and learn when the time comes to settle down. Most students can transition well, but there are some that have a difficult time knowing when to stop. In my classroom, we take advantage of 5 or 10 minutes of down time by doing energizers or sharing fun stories. We all enjoy this time together and humor really does form a great bond. I think I was more rigid with my expectations for how students should act when I was a new teacher. After all, things were a lot different when I was a kid. As the years go by, I have loosened my standards quite a bit. I appreciate all students and realize they have different personalities and learning styles. Yes, I get frustrated or impatient from time to time. However, I truly enjoy my students and the teaching profession.
ReplyDelete