Blog Post # 9

What I've Learned This Year by Mr. Joe McClung

The blog post  What I've Learned This Year (2008-2009), written by Joe McClung reflected on his first year of teaching.  Mr. McClung shared many of his first year experiences. He mentioned that teachers sometimes forget to check if their students are actually comprehending information and focus too much on how it is delivered. A student's comprehension of information should be priority for all teachers.

Mr. McClung stated  lessons don't always go the way you plan and that's okay. I believe lessons are planned to guide you while teaching. I also believe that as a guide, if you need to modify that guide based on the need or needs of the students, that's what you do. He also made the point that we should not be afraid to use technology in our classrooms and if we are not comfortable with computers we need to try anyway. I agree with that statement.  Teachers should be willing to try any and everything to reach their students. Our students today grow up with technology and would not be uncomfortable using it in the classroom. It's what they know!  Material presented using technology would motivate students showing little or no interest in class, but we'll never know if we don't try.

 Mr. McClung stated at the end of his post that we should never stop learning.  I certainly agree with that statement.  Learning does not have an age limit and I am living witness to that. I am probably the oldest student in my class and yes, it is a struggle sometimes to keep up and understand new information, but I try and I keep on trying because I am determined! Once I get it... I've got it and that's the attitude we must have when trying to reach all of our students.  Don't give up on them when they are trying and don't let them give up.  We are there to encourage learning and that should be our focus.


What I Learned This Year (2010-2011)

What I Learned This Year was Mr. McClung's third year blog entry.  Joe stated we should center our decisions around the student and not around pleasing other adults. He is simply saying it is okay to want to make adults happy, but our main focus is the student. I like pleasing people. It makes me feel good but that can cause situations where you neglect what's important for something that's really not important at all. I must always be alert so those situations don't occur. Teachers must also be aware of circumstances and situations that are not student centered and stay away from what or who causes that type of situation. Mr. McClung said he stayed away from faculty and other staff and he spent most of his time with his students. This made him an outsider but he was happy with himself as a teacher.

 He reminded us not to get too comfortable because teachers can get into a routine after they have been in a school for many years. I think routines make students stagnate and change keeps students growing.  Joe did not become one of the "boys" at school.  He remained the person he knew himself to be and it was not important what others thought about him. I want to keep my students interested in learning and encourage that inner drive to do so and that will require change...constant change. I don't like routine and I become bored with routine, so why would I think students are not bored with routine? As a teacher, I will make every effort to remember to always center my decisions around my students and to be passionate in my role as their teacher. Joe's personal reflections on his real world experiences have allowed me insight into what I should expect in the classroom and the school environment as a whole.