Blog # 4

 I want to be the kind of teacher who holds the bar high, raises expectations, and keeps the momentum going- all while meeting the standards.  I go back and forth with the notion that I can handle this task.  From what I am reading and learning about in my classes at UWB, I can and will be able to make it happen.  I just need to keep my eye on the goal.  As long as I put my students first, highlighting their needs and meeting them where they are “at,” meeting the standards should come naturally.  As Nicola Findley said, “Rather than impose our ready-made curricular connections, we need to uncover and encourage students' connections within and across the curriculum and with their own lives and interests.” 

Routman talks about keeping it relevant; making sure the students feel the tasks we ask them to complete are significant.  I call that “keeping it real.”  Keeping it real, while scaffolding each learner’s needs will bolster their confidence as learners, readers, writers, and mathematicians.  I like Routman’s advice about paying more attention to the amount of support a student needs, rather than to the teaching content.  I think that if a student is properly supported, and scaffolded teaching is a priority, the content (proper grammar, etc.) will follow. 

I have been able to observe my master teacher provide many shared experiences for her students.  So far I have seen them share in reading, writing, and math experiences, as well as scaffolded conversations.  I feel fortunate to be able to witness, first-hand, experiences that we are reading about in Writing Essentials.  Being able to think about what I would say to “my” students (while listening to my master teacher respond to her students) is invaluable.  I know it sounds silly, but it’s like getting to practice thinking without being on the spot.

Routman says that, “without the learner’s trust, it’s impossible to teach.”  My own children have told me about instances they have had with their teachers where my children did not feel like could share their thinking.  My children did not feel as though their teacher valued their thoughts or feelings.  I understood why my girls did not want to share a piece of themselves with the teacher if she was not going value what they said, or how they felt.  I think it is unfortunate that instances like this occur.  Teachable moments were lost.  I will be thinking about my girls’ experiences as I talk to my students in the future.  I definitely want them to feel valued, and I definitely want them to trust me.

I have noticed many times with my own children, and my preschool students, that a lot of learning occurs during social interactions and collaborative work.  Many natural teachable moments unfold during everyday conversations.  Doing things together is a great way for students to learn, but also for parents and teachers.  We can learn a lot about our students by what they say during a casual conversation.  It only stands to reason that students will learn just as much about themselves, about learning, and about the learning process during shared reading, writing, and math times.  I am really looking forward to supporting my students in as many ways as possible.  I am hoping to make students aware of their thinking, be independent problem solvers, and be able to articulate their thoughts and strategies.