In the remainder of Chapter
4 identify an idea/concept that scares you the most, or causes you the most
consternation, as you consider moving into the role of teacher.
Tell us why that concept causes you such
heartburn.
The statistics on drug use were startling for me. The chart on page 148 states that by 12th grade, nearly a quarter of surveyed students who *reported* any illicit drug use, and 26.8% *reported* having been drunk. I say *reported* because how many lied? Being that I am seeking a secondary certification, this is disheartening for me, and really highlights the challenges being faced by today's youth.
During my field experience this week, the cooperating teacher and I had a discussion about the changes coming to the school, one of which is closed campus lunch, because they were having huge problems with students getting drunk or high at lunch and then coming back (or not). And how many after hours parties have led to extended drug use? Unwanted pregnancies? STD's? Drunk driving? Other things which led to an arrest? Jail time?
Just pains me to see kids making decisions that you know will lead to heartbreak, irreversibly altered lives, etc.
And I want to teach them history. And make them think history is important. Or at least, convince them it's important enough to suffer through and pass for the year I have them, because they will have slim to zero chance of making a living without a high school education.
I'm thinking about our conversation three weeks ago about the "power" that teachers have to influence students. They and we are participants in the same play (I believe), not "victims" of the circumstances (not usually, anyway).
Great opportunities exist for us to influence those young minds, bodies, souls.
What worries me the most would be teaching students with learning disabilities. I am just worried that I will not be able to reach them and to show them that learning can be fun. I do not want any students with learning disabilities to feel helpless or different from students without learning disabilities. I just want to be able to teach them in a way I know that they understand.
I think the area that would cause me the most concern is dealing with students who have emotional or behavioral problems. This could be quite a challenge because first you have to understand what causes their problems and then figure out ways to reach the student without causing them to have more problems. I would have to understand this because I am a displinarian and would not accept students acting out in class. This will be my biggest challenge in my teaching career.
Yeppers. Tough situations will arise, and expecting appropriate response from students just "because I said so" will rarely work. Knowing what makes them tick is critical. Knowing yourself is just as critical.
Those who espouse "teacher proof curriculum" simply do not have a real grasp of the interactive dynamics of a classroom.
I think I would have to say the involvement (or lack of) by the parents. If there are very apparent text book learning challenges it is much easier to gather the IEP team together and formulate a plan. But when teaching those students with the "not so" text book learning challenges (behavioral or emotional) it may not be as clear to the parents or guardians that there is a need and the stigma of special needs might overshadow giving the student what they need.
Any teacher I've spoken to has told me the single biggest contributor to student success is the level of involvement of parents. For some, this is not a problem. For others - eesh!
One of my fears is to overlook a struggling student. It is so easy to get trapped in the success of gifted students that a teacher can easily just give up and not even try to get a student struggling with the material extra attention. Our book talks about starting a plan of intervention (rti) as early as possible so a student does not get behind. Rti is a process and it takes time to go through it. I do not want to develop the attitude of giving up on a student before even trying to help them just because it will extra work for me. It is easy to get trapped in this attitude due to all paperwork, testing, parent coferences and other things that a teacher has to do in regular routine.
I would have to agree with you on this. The RTI process seems great in text, but is there time in the day to have the process ready to go for every student that needs it.
I think what worries me the most of becoming a teacher would be the process of teaching students with no disabilities and those with disabilities. How can I be an effective teacher to both types of students, will i be up for the challenge.
The statistics on drug use were startling for me. The chart on page 148 states that by 12th grade, nearly a quarter of surveyed students who *reported* any illicit drug use, and 26.8% *reported* having been drunk. I say *reported* because how many lied? Being that I am seeking a secondary certification, this is disheartening for me, and really highlights the challenges being faced by today's youth.
ReplyDeleteDuring my field experience this week, the cooperating teacher and I had a discussion about the changes coming to the school, one of which is closed campus lunch, because they were having huge problems with students getting drunk or high at lunch and then coming back (or not). And how many after hours parties have led to extended drug use? Unwanted pregnancies? STD's? Drunk driving? Other things which led to an arrest? Jail time?
Just pains me to see kids making decisions that you know will lead to heartbreak, irreversibly altered lives, etc.
And I want to teach them history. And make them think history is important. Or at least, convince them it's important enough to suffer through and pass for the year I have them, because they will have slim to zero chance of making a living without a high school education.
I'm thinking about our conversation three weeks ago about the "power" that teachers have to influence students. They and we are participants in the same play (I believe), not "victims" of the circumstances (not usually, anyway).
DeleteGreat opportunities exist for us to influence those young minds, bodies, souls.
Great opportunities indeed. It's a humbling thing, I think: to be in such a position of influence.
DeleteWhat worries me the most would be teaching students with learning disabilities. I am just worried that I will not be able to reach them and to show them that learning can be fun. I do not want any students with learning disabilities to feel helpless or different from students without learning disabilities. I just want to be able to teach them in a way I know that they understand.
ReplyDeleteI think the area that would cause me the most concern is dealing with students who have emotional or behavioral problems. This could be quite a challenge because first you have to understand what causes their problems and then figure out ways to reach the student without causing them to have more problems. I would have to understand this because I am a displinarian and would not accept students acting out in class. This will be my biggest challenge in my teaching career.
ReplyDeleteYeppers. Tough situations will arise, and expecting appropriate response from students just "because I said so" will rarely work. Knowing what makes them tick is critical. Knowing yourself is just as critical.
DeleteThose who espouse "teacher proof curriculum" simply do not have a real grasp of the interactive dynamics of a classroom.
I think I would have to say the involvement (or lack of) by the parents. If there are very apparent text book learning challenges it is much easier to gather the IEP team together and formulate a plan. But when teaching those students with the "not so" text book learning challenges (behavioral or emotional) it may not be as clear to the parents or guardians that there is a need and the stigma of special needs might overshadow giving the student what they need.
ReplyDeleteAny teacher I've spoken to has told me the single biggest contributor to student success is the level of involvement of parents. For some, this is not a problem. For others - eesh!
DeleteOne of my fears is to overlook a struggling student. It is so easy to get trapped in the success of gifted students that a teacher can easily just give up and not even try to get a student struggling with the material extra attention. Our book talks about starting a plan of intervention (rti) as early as possible so a student does not get behind. Rti is a process and it takes time to go through it. I do not want to develop the attitude of giving up on a student before even trying to help them just because it will extra work for me. It is easy to get trapped in this attitude due to all paperwork, testing, parent coferences and other things that a teacher has to do in regular routine.
ReplyDeleteI would have to agree with you on this. The RTI process seems great in text, but is there time in the day to have the process ready to go for every student that needs it.
DeleteI think what worries me the most of becoming a teacher would be the process of teaching students with no disabilities and those with disabilities. How can I be an effective teacher to both types of students, will i be up for the challenge.
ReplyDelete