What I Would Change About My "Sorry"

The "sorry" that I am going to write about is becoming too familiar with one of my classes. Over the course of the semester I have gotten to be especially close with one of the classes that I have been teaching. Of course, this is not a bad thing; the problem is the way we relate. Lately, things have been on probably too much of a friendship and joking level. We can still get work done, but it takes me longer to quiet them down, and they are now more likely to try to get away with things. In the future, I will have to be more careful to keep that professional distance. Even when the class is composed of students who I genuinely enjoy being around; it is important to have a proper way of relating and joking around at the right times. Fortunately, this class is a good class, and I do not feel that I have gotten to a point where I joke around with them so much that I do not have proper control of the class. I think, if I had to teach them for an entire year, it would prove much more difficult.

Classroom Management

Three classroom management strategies that I will try to use in future classroom settings....

1. My cooperating teacher advised that I create a seating chart for a class I was about to add on and begin teaching. He suggested this because they were his most energetic class and gave him the most trouble from a classroom management standpoint. With his help (because he knew the students better), we created a seating chart and I have had very little trouble with the students in the class. I think it was helpful for two reasons: the obvious reason is that I was able to move students who would talk to one another non-stop away from problem areas and the other reason was it sent a message to the class immediately that I was serious about them behaving in my class.

2. I have found, especially in the honors classes I am teaching, that it is extremely important to always have a next step and make my transitions from activity to activity as smooth and quick as possible. When the students have any dead time they are prone to turn to the side and ask their friend a question or become distracted by something outside. When they have instructions for the next task on hand; however, they ideally do not have time to begin causing any problems.

3. When I am lecturing, I like to incorporate a lot of questions and class discussion/participation. For the most part the students are willing to go along and I really appreciate this, but occasionally, side conversations will spring up that are distracting from the main lecture and the front of the class. When this occurs, I stand up front quietly with my hands crossed, looking at the students who have begun talking to one another. Everyone quickly notices that I am not trying to talk over the other conversations and ususally the problem settles itself very quickly.

Curriculum Unit Suggestions

I planned on doing an activity in my curriculum unit that taught marginal tax rates by assigning groups of students a fictional salary that fell within different tax brackets for different groups. It was suggested that I include examples of a job that might go along with their designated salary. This would benefit students by giving them a specific real-world connection with the salary they were assigned and make the activity even more personally relevant. This increased relevance would improve the students’ interest and understanding for why it was important to learn the material.

In my lesson on state and local taxation, it was suggested that I use a graphic organizer when I go about explaining the difference between regressive taxes and proportional taxes. There are several types of graphic organizers or ways to visually represent this on the board which would be a great way to facilitate learning of this difficult concept, especially for students who learn best in a way other than through notes and lecture. Play money or a “false economy” using beans or another kind of money substitute and then levying certain kinds of taxes on the students would be an easy way to visually represent this concept.

For my Google Earth lesson on taxation as a cause of revolutions, I plan on beginning the day with a few quotes from famous leaders about taxes and how people perceive them. However, I did not include specific questions about the quotes or how I planned on putting the quotes to use other than reading them. I would probably be good to have 2-3 specific questions about who the intended audience was or the background of the speaker in order to get students to understand the quote on a deeper level. Having the students pair up and discuss the quotes would be a way to have everyone participate and think out loud.

Professional Organization

The National Council for History Education is an organization committed to “promoting the importance of history in schools and in society.” They provide a communication network for educators who wish to share their ideas and get ideas from others. They also host a conference for members to get together and learn about new ways to teach history. An online publication provides articles about teaching history in schools.

As far as professional development, an NCHE Colloquium put on by historians, teachers, and curriculum specialists as well as the yearly conference provide opportunities for teachers to learn how to better teach their subject matter. The Colloquium is unique to NCHE and they pride themselves in the individual attention and discussion that can occur.

This seems like a good organization to join, and I would certainly be open to hearing from a team in the colloquium setting. It seems to be important to remember that as a teacher you can always learn how to teach material in a new way that perhaps will make sense to your students. I think after I have been teaching for a while it will be difficult to change how I approach the material.

I do not know if this will be particularly useful this semester; however, as I look to the future it will be good to keep in mind the various professional organizations.

Vision and Reality

The overall goal of a teacher should be the development of the whole child into someone who learns not just the material presented in their class but who understands how to learn and gains a desire for further knowledge and understanding. Within the realm of social studies education, the purpose should be to develop culturally literate students who understand both their own backgrounds and where others are coming from. These students should become citizens who understand and participate in the cultural, political, and social world to which they belong. In an ideal classroom, students want to excel because they are motivated and interested in the subject because of the example set by their teacher. Through the asking of questions and learning how to think through what they are being taught, students should be able to develop their own knowledgeable opinions through analyzing and synthesizing the facts that they have been presented.

Although the above vision statement sounds very nice in theory, it is a rare classroom that is full of students who want to learn about everything being taught and are enthusiastic and motivated even most of the time. Teachers should never hesitate to take any and every opportunity to remind students of the benefits of what they are learning. For the government and economics classes I am teaching this semester, real life examples are not too difficult to come by. Everyday in the news, real life applications of what we go over in class can be seen. However, some students will not be drawn in simply by news stories. The teacher needs to be very explicit when explaining how learning about government or the workings of economics can better a student's life. Much of this can be pretty easy to demonstrate its importance, from learning about the electoral process or how to balance a checkbook.
What about for those subjects that are not as immediately applicable where a proficiency in the material will perhaps only bring benefits years down the road and not in obvious ways? Many other branches of social studies are like this, especially history. It is ok for a teacher to not try to convince a student of the immediate benefits of learning history. If possible, perhaps simple curiosity or interest in the story unfolding will gain a students attention. When curiosity or desire for good grades is not enough; however, a personal relationship with a teacher they know cares for them may be the best way to motivate a student and encourage them to do the work that is needed for them to become well versed in social studies and knowledgable about how to interpret the world around them. From personal experience, I know that I am much more inclinded to work hard for a teacher who has taken the time to get to know me, what my interests and goals are, than a teacher who hardly knows my name or seems to arbitrarily assign work to be done.

This I Believe...

I believe that a positive attitude is crucial, not only for success, but to enjoy the process as well. A positive attitude can extend to belief in oneself and the people around you. While it is important to have confidence in your own abilities, expecting others to get the job done and excel in their own endeavors is equally important.

A positive attitude is not limited to trusting in my own abilities or the abilities of others to get something done. It is also means embracing the challenges before me as opportunities and chances to get things done that I otherwise would not have attempted or accomplished. By approaching a new task with a positive attitude, the process itself becomes more pleasant. To be sure, there are times when there is hard work to be done and these times may call for digging down deep within to find a way to face the drudgery with a smile or a spirit that accepts and focuses on the task at hand. The attitude does not have to be bubbly or overly optimistic. Resolute and confident will get much more accomplished than bubbly or optimistic. Once a goal or job is undertaken, once the hand is at the plow, it is no longer time to look back or complain about work before us. An interesting thing about attitudes, whether positive or negative is that they are contagious; however, only one will help yourself and others to finish what is before them.

Faith in others is often more difficult than faith in ourselves, yet it is equally necessary when working to achieve a goal- building a house or teaching math. Absolutely everyone is capable of a great deal when properly motivated both from within and without. When a struggling student or an unmotivated employee comprehends that you really believe they can do what you are asking them to do (even if it is tough to actually believe), this can greatly affect the way they view themselves and you.

I believe that everyone is capable of much more than they are willing to admit; however, when you embrace a positive attitude, whether or not you can do something does not enter your mind. Setting yourself at a task and not fearing the difficulties ahead will lead you to more than you dared hope to do.