Mr. Joe McClung
Joe McClung's blog, At the Teacher's Desk, is full of insightful ideas for future educators and those who are already in the teaching profession. In his blog post, What I've Learned, Joe shares his experience of what he learned after his first year of teaching. The first thing you see when you open this post is a picture with a simple message from Mr. McClung. It reads, "An important decision I made this year is to stay positive."
For me, I think that teaching and parenting have many of the same qualities and techniques used. As parents, we are our children's first teachers, so in the "parenting" field I have 7 years of experience. This makes me a little more open to what to expect, because as many of us know you cannot expect your day to go as written on your planner. With children things are constantly changing and you have to "go with the flow". This correlates with Mr. McClung's tips: be flexible. He talks about the perfect lesson and how much we all want to strive for it. Sometimes, things don't go as planned, and that's okay. Just do the best you can and make notes of the adjustments for next time. We just have to stay positive and do the best we can and make the best of any situation.
Another tip that Mr. McClung discusses is to "listen to your students". This is so important! I have worked as a substitute for a little while and I serve on the PTO at our school. One thing that teachers need to be more in-tuned about it listening to their students. Some students, unfortunately, do not really have a positive atmosphere at home. I know no one really likes to discuss this, but school is a safe-haven for some children. When they come to school, they need to be able to talk to their teacher and to have someone who actually listens. Also, by listening to our students we earn their respect and can build a relationship that has a positive lasting effect. That's exactly what we all want isn't it? We want to make a positive life-long effect on our students.
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After another year of teaching, Joe McClung decided to write another blog about what he learned. The first things he writes about is being able to adapt. All of us should be aware of the fact that our education system has undergone several financial cuts the past few years. We cannot all expect to graduate and find a job at the exact school we want to teach at, teaching our dream grade. We have to all be willing to adapt. Joe found this out and had to step out of his comfort zone to teach 8th graders, instead of 6th graders as he taught in the previous year. He had to make adjustments with the style of teaching as there is a huge difference in the mental maturity of a 6th grader and an 8th grader.
This blog will be saved on my PLN, as I believe that the tips and ideas shared on this blog will be beneficial for me now and in the future. As with any job, you have to get in and get your hands dirty to know what's going to make you better. We all should learn from our mistakes. As Mr. McClung said, "check your ego at the door". You cannot bee-bop into a school as a first year teaching thinking that you know everything. You don't. You have to be willing to learn and grow continuously -- all while keeping a smile on your face.
For me, I think that teaching and parenting have many of the same qualities and techniques used. As parents, we are our children's first teachers, so in the "parenting" field I have 7 years of experience. This makes me a little more open to what to expect, because as many of us know you cannot expect your day to go as written on your planner. With children things are constantly changing and you have to "go with the flow". This correlates with Mr. McClung's tips: be flexible. He talks about the perfect lesson and how much we all want to strive for it. Sometimes, things don't go as planned, and that's okay. Just do the best you can and make notes of the adjustments for next time. We just have to stay positive and do the best we can and make the best of any situation.
Another tip that Mr. McClung discusses is to "listen to your students". This is so important! I have worked as a substitute for a little while and I serve on the PTO at our school. One thing that teachers need to be more in-tuned about it listening to their students. Some students, unfortunately, do not really have a positive atmosphere at home. I know no one really likes to discuss this, but school is a safe-haven for some children. When they come to school, they need to be able to talk to their teacher and to have someone who actually listens. Also, by listening to our students we earn their respect and can build a relationship that has a positive lasting effect. That's exactly what we all want isn't it? We want to make a positive life-long effect on our students.
After another year of teaching, Joe McClung decided to write another blog about what he learned. The first things he writes about is being able to adapt. All of us should be aware of the fact that our education system has undergone several financial cuts the past few years. We cannot all expect to graduate and find a job at the exact school we want to teach at, teaching our dream grade. We have to all be willing to adapt. Joe found this out and had to step out of his comfort zone to teach 8th graders, instead of 6th graders as he taught in the previous year. He had to make adjustments with the style of teaching as there is a huge difference in the mental maturity of a 6th grader and an 8th grader.
This blog will be saved on my PLN, as I believe that the tips and ideas shared on this blog will be beneficial for me now and in the future. As with any job, you have to get in and get your hands dirty to know what's going to make you better. We all should learn from our mistakes. As Mr. McClung said, "check your ego at the door". You cannot bee-bop into a school as a first year teaching thinking that you know everything. You don't. You have to be willing to learn and grow continuously -- all while keeping a smile on your face.
Hey Miranda! Good job on all your summary posts. I can tell that you read Mr. McClung's posts thoroughly by the way you incorporate his main ideas into your blog post. I agree that Mr. McClung's blog posts hold a lot of useful information that will help us as students, and future teachers. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteMiranda,
ReplyDeleteSounds like you found Mr. McClung's blog to be very interesting and useful. Good work on the clickable links and pictures with alt and title modifiers. By the way, I love the comic.