Nov 1 - What are the best aspects of being a teacher?
Each time I see this question, I answer it differently.
Sometimes I appreciate the outlet for creativity. Sometimes I relish a job that requires me to roll around in poems and words and books and writing. Friday two students stayed after class to sandwich me in a hug, sensing I was having a rocky day. Last month I got two notes within one week from college freshmen thanking me for my impact and teaching. Who wouldn't love this job?
But today I will focus on some often under-appreciated advantages of teaching:
I can stand up and walk around if I want to.
I can talk whenever I feel like it.
People listen to me when I open my mouth to speak.
I decide when the lights are on or off.
I get to rearrange the furniture.
I've been thinking of these perks after reading an essay that was buzzing around the internet a few weeks ago. A teacher had spent two days shadowing students and was dismayed by how much time students spend in apathetic stupor, sitting, waiting, following someone else's directions; how little control students have over their choices throughout the day.
My blog is titled Schoolblazing because I am determined to blaze new trails, light out for the territory ahead of the rest, so to speak. Central to this mindset is my effort to give students ownership and control in our classroom, to over-trust rather than to under-trust. This means deliberately providing students with more control than they usually have in the school setting.
In this vein I try to extend the perks of Room 408 to my students too--keeping "student led" at the forefront of my lesson planning and decision making. I try not to abuse the inequality of power in the teacher-student dynamic. If I myself value choice and freedom and being listened to, I want my students to experience these as well.
So today's reflection reminds me that we all crave a sense of control. My job title hands me the reins, and my teaching philosophy urges me to share the reins with my students.
But today I will focus on some often under-appreciated advantages of teaching:
I can stand up and walk around if I want to.
I can talk whenever I feel like it.
People listen to me when I open my mouth to speak.
I decide when the lights are on or off.
I get to rearrange the furniture.
I've been thinking of these perks after reading an essay that was buzzing around the internet a few weeks ago. A teacher had spent two days shadowing students and was dismayed by how much time students spend in apathetic stupor, sitting, waiting, following someone else's directions; how little control students have over their choices throughout the day.
My blog is titled Schoolblazing because I am determined to blaze new trails, light out for the territory ahead of the rest, so to speak. Central to this mindset is my effort to give students ownership and control in our classroom, to over-trust rather than to under-trust. This means deliberately providing students with more control than they usually have in the school setting.
In this vein I try to extend the perks of Room 408 to my students too--keeping "student led" at the forefront of my lesson planning and decision making. I try not to abuse the inequality of power in the teacher-student dynamic. If I myself value choice and freedom and being listened to, I want my students to experience these as well.
So today's reflection reminds me that we all crave a sense of control. My job title hands me the reins, and my teaching philosophy urges me to share the reins with my students.
Some of the "people" I spent time with today.
Student led can be empowering, but to some students it can be quite an overwhelming and frightening experience. Like the prisoner set free after years in the penal system, the openness of choices and accountability can be terrifying and burdensome.
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