the impact of the journey...the good, the bad and the ugly!
My path into education…it’s been a long twisty journey and to think it’s only just beginning. Teaching for several years now, my focus in education has changed time and time again. What to focus on in teaching is a never-ending, no good answer question to ask. I am continuing to evolve as an educator and to learn as I go. Sometimes the best learning experiences come from the biggest oops in the classroom…and not just the classroom I teach in but also in the classroom that I’ve been a student in.
Some of the classes I’ve taken have impacted my teaching in more ways than I expected and other classes I’ve figured out how to slip by doing the least work possible. This was nice for those early semesters n the program but did not set me up for success in the long run. But it does make me look at my students and their effort in the classroom in a different way. Am I providing learning tasks that are relevant and challenging or am I making busy work for students to do? I try hard to make learning relevant and challenging in the classroom. CEP 801 really made me look at motivation in the classroom. Motivation is an important part of learning in my mind. I started out my masters with the only motivation being I need to do this because I need to. I had no interest in taking classes or getting my masters and to tell the truth, some classes really could not hold my interest or provide learning that was relevant and challenging. 801 really let me take the time to focus on motivation and what causes students to learn or want to learn. What motivates my students to be better learners? Do they have an interest in learning? Are their parents invested in their learning or value learning? These are all questions I started to ask my self during 801 and I continue to ask myself these questions on a yearly basis to make my teaching better. If I can motivate a student to read, learn, do math problems or even just listen, I have won an immense battle. Sadly, it’s always going to differ on what motivates students and what motivates which students. Motivation is a key force behind learning for students and even more importantly it’s a key force behind me being a better teacher. What motivates me to teach my students? I have noticed that the more I focus on motivation, the better my students learn because I find what motivates them.
Technology has been an important part of my life for my entire life. Early exposure and high expectation has resulted in me being very comfortable and able to experiment and use technology in my everyday life. Then came the challenge…take the technology experience I’ve had and now I’m expected to use it with student’s….hmmm now it gets interesting. Students who have little or no experience with technology let alone a computer? How on earth am I supposed to teach them using a new form of technology when they aren’t familiar with the basic forms of technology? CEP 800 really made me look at technology in sense of impact on the classroom, not just the perks of technology but the drawbacks as well. Fortunately, I’ve been able to use technology with my students and use technology in a positive and meaningful way. I’m excited to report that my students love using the smartboard and have learned tricks to make it more fun and successful as a learning tool. My students have been able to show off the smartboard in several ways to teach community members about the benefits of technology in the classroom. My learning of looking at the positives and negatives of teaching with technology has rubbed off on my students as shown when they will tell community members what parts of the smartboard are ‘goofy’ or don’t always work the right way. They also share that ‘it’s crazy when Miss Proctor writes on her back’ due to the projector being on a cart etc. Taking the time or making me take the time to really investigate the impact of technology in the classroom was a benefit that I didn’t foresee coming out of my masters’ program.
Looking back at my many years of work in this program makes me really think how far I’ve come in my thinking, teaching and experience. When finding work samples, thinking back about classes and experiences, I was amazed at the impact this program has had on my teaching. I do think that the most important class I’ve taken was FCE 892…Now I know that I transferred the credit into this program but it definitely fits my teaching history and my current teaching position. When thinking about how this class has impacted my experience, it focused on looking into the culture of our students. I was always the one who thought culture was just nationality or background. This class taught me that culture is way more than just a students’ nationality. It’s their experiences, relationships, and everyday living that is their culture. When my eyes opened wide at that definition of culture, I knew my teaching would change drastically. What I didn’t really think about is how my teaching would change. Not only did my teaching in the classroom change but the way I interact with the students and families has also changed. I am more open to their experiences and their ‘way of life’ which makes me a ‘safe person’ to talk to and trust their students to. When parents trust their teacher, students realize that and it changes their education experience. It’s made a huge difference in my teaching the last few years.
When I started this journey into education, I never thought I’d end up where I am right now. Early on, I thought I’d be looking towards administration and after being in the classroom…there’s no way I’d be an administrator in a school. So that is something that I’ve learned about myself from my experience in education. I am still interested in leadership, just not necessarily administration. I have also realized how much I just enjoy teaching, seeing the light bulbs light up and building the relationships with the families and students that come through my classroom. I continue to take leadership roles within our building and district and see that continuing. However, I am going to balance it better so I can still focus on the teaching and motivating my students. The family relationship gets to be more and more important every year that our families struggle with surviving day to day life. If I, as the teacher can build that bridge to the school community, our students will grow and change in many ways. I‘m excited to see what the future holds as I continue to teach and to learn in and out of the classroom.
Some of the classes I’ve taken have impacted my teaching in more ways than I expected and other classes I’ve figured out how to slip by doing the least work possible. This was nice for those early semesters n the program but did not set me up for success in the long run. But it does make me look at my students and their effort in the classroom in a different way. Am I providing learning tasks that are relevant and challenging or am I making busy work for students to do? I try hard to make learning relevant and challenging in the classroom. CEP 801 really made me look at motivation in the classroom. Motivation is an important part of learning in my mind. I started out my masters with the only motivation being I need to do this because I need to. I had no interest in taking classes or getting my masters and to tell the truth, some classes really could not hold my interest or provide learning that was relevant and challenging. 801 really let me take the time to focus on motivation and what causes students to learn or want to learn. What motivates my students to be better learners? Do they have an interest in learning? Are their parents invested in their learning or value learning? These are all questions I started to ask my self during 801 and I continue to ask myself these questions on a yearly basis to make my teaching better. If I can motivate a student to read, learn, do math problems or even just listen, I have won an immense battle. Sadly, it’s always going to differ on what motivates students and what motivates which students. Motivation is a key force behind learning for students and even more importantly it’s a key force behind me being a better teacher. What motivates me to teach my students? I have noticed that the more I focus on motivation, the better my students learn because I find what motivates them.
Technology has been an important part of my life for my entire life. Early exposure and high expectation has resulted in me being very comfortable and able to experiment and use technology in my everyday life. Then came the challenge…take the technology experience I’ve had and now I’m expected to use it with student’s….hmmm now it gets interesting. Students who have little or no experience with technology let alone a computer? How on earth am I supposed to teach them using a new form of technology when they aren’t familiar with the basic forms of technology? CEP 800 really made me look at technology in sense of impact on the classroom, not just the perks of technology but the drawbacks as well. Fortunately, I’ve been able to use technology with my students and use technology in a positive and meaningful way. I’m excited to report that my students love using the smartboard and have learned tricks to make it more fun and successful as a learning tool. My students have been able to show off the smartboard in several ways to teach community members about the benefits of technology in the classroom. My learning of looking at the positives and negatives of teaching with technology has rubbed off on my students as shown when they will tell community members what parts of the smartboard are ‘goofy’ or don’t always work the right way. They also share that ‘it’s crazy when Miss Proctor writes on her back’ due to the projector being on a cart etc. Taking the time or making me take the time to really investigate the impact of technology in the classroom was a benefit that I didn’t foresee coming out of my masters’ program.
Looking back at my many years of work in this program makes me really think how far I’ve come in my thinking, teaching and experience. When finding work samples, thinking back about classes and experiences, I was amazed at the impact this program has had on my teaching. I do think that the most important class I’ve taken was FCE 892…Now I know that I transferred the credit into this program but it definitely fits my teaching history and my current teaching position. When thinking about how this class has impacted my experience, it focused on looking into the culture of our students. I was always the one who thought culture was just nationality or background. This class taught me that culture is way more than just a students’ nationality. It’s their experiences, relationships, and everyday living that is their culture. When my eyes opened wide at that definition of culture, I knew my teaching would change drastically. What I didn’t really think about is how my teaching would change. Not only did my teaching in the classroom change but the way I interact with the students and families has also changed. I am more open to their experiences and their ‘way of life’ which makes me a ‘safe person’ to talk to and trust their students to. When parents trust their teacher, students realize that and it changes their education experience. It’s made a huge difference in my teaching the last few years.
When I started this journey into education, I never thought I’d end up where I am right now. Early on, I thought I’d be looking towards administration and after being in the classroom…there’s no way I’d be an administrator in a school. So that is something that I’ve learned about myself from my experience in education. I am still interested in leadership, just not necessarily administration. I have also realized how much I just enjoy teaching, seeing the light bulbs light up and building the relationships with the families and students that come through my classroom. I continue to take leadership roles within our building and district and see that continuing. However, I am going to balance it better so I can still focus on the teaching and motivating my students. The family relationship gets to be more and more important every year that our families struggle with surviving day to day life. If I, as the teacher can build that bridge to the school community, our students will grow and change in many ways. I‘m excited to see what the future holds as I continue to teach and to learn in and out of the classroom.