Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Schools that Learn
Reading the first few pages of Classroom was like a trip down memory lane. When I was a student, I always loved the new box of crayons, perfectly sharpened pencils and the assignment planner that had blank, crisp untouched pages, at the beginning of the school year. Even though I don’t have my own classroom yet, I look forward to the day where I am in the classroom that I helped create with new rulers, pencils, posters and a warm welcome. What the students bring into the environment will be the exciting part. Together we will create a space where learning occurs, learning that may be different for everyone. Sure there will be a curriculum that I’ll have to follow and “get through,” administrators and parents watching me carefully to ensure their child passes the assessment exams, and unprepared students that might get on my nerves, but I am ready to take on those challenges. I am ready to touch students’ lives because of the devotion I have for the teaching profession I am entering. One quote that comes to mind is by Palmer, the author of "Courage to Teach". He made a very interesting statement about teaching; “…good teaching comes from the integrity and identity of the teacher, not methods and techniques.” Yes, I’ve been trained on the theories that should be incorporated into everyday teaching, and I have my own methods that work for different scenarios that occur in the classroom, but teaching isn’t just about that. The integrity and identity of who I am as a lifelong learner will help me change students’ lives, in one way or another, only if I open the doors to the classroom that’s awaiting creation.
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5 comments:
Danielle,
It is such a pleasure to see again the eagerness of a future classroom teacher. So quickly is the eagerness put aside when the reality of such a position is or has been secured.
Try to always keep to your beliefs of what you believe to be - what the kids needs are. Your inner feelings on this will guide you through the tough times ahead.
Understanding too the concepts of "Systems Thinking", will also offer you a great tool box in which to be able to grab things you can use to guide students onto the correct path. Remember- since every student brings with them different backgrounds and knowledge bases, never stop, stopping to ask more questions. For what Senge promotes most in his book is making time for our selves to ask another question.
A "system" can only work, when all the "cogs and spindles" are spinning- if even one stops or pauses, the whole "classroom" system- will stop or pause.
I wish you the very best in your career and in all that you do.
Gordon
Your "classroom" will be your space to make magic happen. I know you will encourage, support and facilitate learning in a way that your students will feel empowered to learn, take risks and achieve more than they thought they could. Your day will come, Danielle!
Hey Danielle,
I can totally relate to you about the new classroom and how you want to create it. So far in my short teaching experiencing I have not had that opportunity of starting a new year from the beginning with new books and pencils. I also eagerly await for that day to happen. Best of luck to you when it happens and I am sure it will happen soon!
Danielle,
I can relate to that feeling also! But just moments ago, I just stepped out of a classroom where a student never brings a pencil or book to class, and dazes into la-lay land. At the end of the class period we were all still laughing and (I think) he learned something. If you provide them with the pencil everyday, are we enabling their forgetfulness or their ability to still learn? Was this a confusing question?
While you cannot wait to have your turn in your own classroom, all of the experiences you've had thus will truly make your room a better place once you're there. While you can plan for it in your mind and with every educational learning experience you've had, it is the push and pull of you, the curriculum and the 24 + souls that share your room with you during that first year that create this unique learning space. You definitely have the courage to teach and I hope that someone opens the door for you soon so you can open doors for your students. Godspeed Danielle.
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