Post your Mentor Teacher Interview in the comments below. I have pasted the directions below for reference. This post is due by midnight on October 30th. Please make sure to edit your paper for spelling and grammar errors. Please make sure to remove any identifying details such as the name of the mentor or school.
Mentor Teacher Interview
Interview a Mentor Teacher. This can be a teacher that you loved from your own school experience, the teacher you are working with, a faculty member that you respect, or another teacher you discover. Find out why he/she chose teaching as a profession, challenges and rewards of teaching, and how teaching has changed since he/she began his/her career. The purpose of this interview is for you to find a mentor teacher who you can look to as a role model and start reflecting on your identity as a teacher. Make sure to reflect on how his/her answers made you think about teaching. Write this interview as though you were writing for an educational newsletter with a creative beginning and end. Do not simply write questions and answers. It is strongly recommended that you use the Writing Center for help with this assignment.
Are you an experienced teacher but not having success with your students? Do you carefully map out great lesson plans, but just don’t feel like you’re getting through? Do you feel like it is getting harder and harder to keep your students’ attention?
ReplyDeleteNo need worry; you are not alone.
Susan Marlson*, a special education teacher for the past eleven years, and her sister, Brenda Lukowski, a teacher for the past twenty-seven years, both agree that a major way education has changed since they both began teaching is that children are finding it more and more difficult to pay attention. They blame this mostly on the technology these children are growing up with. Both teachers find that their students require more “flashy” methods to learn. Susan uses MP3 players to help students with reading. She has not yet begun to use SMART boards in her classroom, but thinks they have a lot to offer educators. Brenda uses less technology in her classroom, but admits that she does have to “entertain” the children more than she used to, in order make things more exciting for them. She adds that the children, as well as their parents, have gotten more disrespectful since she began her teaching career. Parents, she says, used to be on the teacher’s side, at least in front of their children. Now, however, parents tend to think that their kids are right, and are not afraid to tell their children, which means her students find teachers less credible, and tend to rebel against their authority more often than they did in the past. Susan is quick to agree.
Susan Marlson decided to become a teacher because she has a great desire to help children learn. Her parents are both teachers, and she grew up witnessing first-hand the great joy teaching brought to her parents. She finds the most challenging aspect of her job is keeping the children engaged. Since she teaches special education, she has to be careful to keep the activities varied. Of course, as any teacher quickly finds out, disciplining the students is always a difficult subject. She is quick to remind any potential teachers that teaching is not a nine-to-five job, especially in the special education field. Like it or not, teachers bring their students’ problems home with them and have to write lesson plans and prepare for each day well after school hours end and their students go home. Still, for Susan, the rewards of teaching are incomparable. She waxes poetic when she mentions the satisfaction of the moment, for both student and teacher, when one of her students understands something for the first time, especially if it had been hard for that particular student to master it. And there’s nothing quite like students coming back to you years after leaving your class, and letting you know that because of something you did, they’re doing well.
Of course, as Susan and Brenda are quick to point out, summer vacation is the best perk of all. Brenda uses it as quality time to spend with her young family. They take long road trips and find daily activities to do when they’re at home. She also uses the time to renew herself, as well as her classroom, for the next year of teaching, by relaxing, revitalizing, and redoing some bulletin boards and coming up with entirely new ones.
(continued)
ReplyDeleteWhen asked what they would like to see changed in the teaching world, Susan and Brenda unanimously answer, “Better pay!” They feel, like many good teachers, that for the amount of time, as well as mental energy they put into their work, they deserve a higher salary than what they’ve been getting. And when you think about it, why not? Teachers prepare our students for their future lives as productive, cooperative people. Why should they get paid any less than the psychologist who essentially does the same thing, arguably on a smaller scale?
Susan would like to see more support from schools for new teachers. Just because someone has finished student teaching does not mean that he is suddenly an expert in the field. He still may need help coming up with ideas for how to teach things and may need advice for how to deal with a problem. Brenda would also like to see support for more experienced teachers. She is a well-known, and, more importantly, well-liked teacher in her community; parents often request that their students be placed in her class. Yet, when a conflict arises between herself and a parent, she would like to see more active intervention and backing on the school’s part.
I asked them a question that had come up in a recent teaching seminar that I had participated in. How do they keep the passion alive? They responded that it is important to keep abreast of new research and resources in the teaching world. There are always new methods to learn, especially since the concept of differentiated instruction has gained momentum. They talk with other teachers, collaborating to come up with new ideas and ways to teach old subjects, and attend workshops to hone their teaching skills. And of course, there are new students every year, and no class is exactly the same as any other.
Their advice for other teachers (who perhaps may feel like they’re losing their touch)?
Never give up! You may affect even the child you thought you would never be able to get through to. The key is perseverance...and care. Don’t lose the excitement you began your career with. Every teacher has her low moments, but as long as you pick yourself up and learn from your mistakes, there’s no reason to feel down!
*all names have been changed
Mrs. Diana was a teacher of mine in Machon Maayan, the seminary I attended for a year and a half. Mrs. Diana was chosen to be one of my role models, because she is relatable, and many adore the way she teaches. When I sent her a letter of questions, we had the chance to catch up with each other. She was so happy to hear from me, and she responded, “Good to hear from you.” And continued with trying to answer these questions the best that she can.
ReplyDeleteWhy did you choose teaching for your profession? Mrs. Diana has always naturally felt like she was a "teacher personality"--even amongst her friends. She feels her ability to explain things, her passion for she is teaching, and the entertaining side of her, are all a good combination for a teacher.
What the challenges, and, or rewards of teaching, and how teaching has challenged since you began your career? Mrs. Diana feels that sometimes you just cannot tell if you are getting through, saying relevant things. The rewards come when you get feedback from your students or when you see them years down the line, and they sometimes remind you of something you said or did that impacted them.
The greatest challenge she finds in the classroom nowadays is the cell phone. She finds that the challenge used to be getting the student to wake up, and take notice. Now even if you have that "gift," the cell phone is so accessible, and even more so, many students are convinced that they can absolutely pay attention and text at the same time. Unfortunately that is completely not reality. Mrs. Diana can see students missing the depths of what she is trying to teach, because they think they can multi-task. Not only in the classroom, but she thinks they are missing out on other important elements of life, because of their delusional belief in being an expert at multi-tasking. For example, the concept of deep and meaningful relationships has greatly suffered, because of the meaningless exchange of one-liners that get sent one to another.
When Mrs. Diana teaches Women’s’ Laws, Magillot, or classes on faith, she puts so much enthusiasm into it. She is spunky, non-judgmental, and has so much passion for her beliefs. The purpose of this assignment was to find a teacher, who I can look up to as a role model, and one of the best teachers I had was Mrs. Diana. She inspired me.
*names have been changed as well
ReplyDeleteShoshana Cheron
ReplyDeleteMentor Teacher Interview
Throughout my school career, I have been fortunate enough to have many good teachers. However, there is one teacher that has made the biggest impression on my life, who has been understanding to my educational needs, who has been flexible and enthusiastic, and who epitomizes all the characteristics that make a teacher good.
When I walked into Mrs. X’s classroom in seventh grade, I was at once thrilled and terrified. On the one hand, I loved English, but I knew from experience that a teacher could take the best subject and turn it into your worst nightmare. But from the moment I entered her classroom, I knew it was going to be great. And it was.
The thing I remember most about Mrs. X is that she was always excited about the material she was teaching, and that rubbed off on me. Looking back, I also see that there were very few, if any, cases of bad behavior. When I asked her why, she told me her way of keeping a rowdy class focused and how she deals with students who don’t always behave.
Her solution has four steps. The first is to pick her battles. If it is not disturbing the class as a whole, she just waits for it to pass. If the disruption persists, she stands by the desk of the student who is misbehaving. If that doesn’t work, she goes to step three, which is to say the student’s name. And if that doesn’t work, she talks to the student privately. Most of the time, the whole class isn’t misbehaving; it’s almost always started by one or two students. So the trick is to stop the disruption before it engulfs the whole class. She only sends students to the principals office or gives detention under the worst circumstances, and only if she tried everything else. Furthermore, if the class is occupied and interested in the material, the class rarely acts up. So Mrs. X makes a point to be prepared and to make sure the class is actively participating and is excited about the material. As a result, she is respected, simply because she is prepared and talks with the students, not just to them.
Because Mrs. X is so involved in her class, she is naturally afraid of letting them down. “I fear that I am not good enough,” she says. “Am I truly giving my students what they need? Am I balancing their needs with the requirements of the school and the state?” These fears are not unfounded, but they have not been recognized. I can personally attest to her fantastic teaching, seeing as I had her for four years as a teacher.
Looking at her enthusiasm and love for her subject and for her class, I realize how much I want to emulate her. I want to be a teacher who makes a difference in the students’ lives, who cares enough to know them as more than just a name on the attendance list, who talks to them and cares about what they think. I want to be remembered positively, and to help the students understand not only the subject matter, but how it can affect them in their life.
Mrs. X has taught me how to do all this, and more, simply by example. She has taught me that learning can be fun and that a teacher has to be a good person in order to be a good teacher. If I could be half as good a teacher to my students as she was to me, I would be a very good teacher, indeed.
This is my final draft!!
ReplyDeleteMrs. Diana was a teacher of mine in seminary, which I attended for a year and a half. Mrs. Diana was chosen to be one of my role models, because she is relatable, and many adore the way she teaches. When I sent her a letter of questions, we had the chance to catch up with each other. She was so happy to hear from me, and she responded, “Good to hear from you.” And continued with trying to answer these questions the best that she can.
Why did you choose teaching for your profession? Mrs. Diana has always naturally felt like she was a "teacher personality"--even amongst her friends. She feels her ability to explain things, her passion for she is teaching, and the entertaining side of her, are all a good combination for a teacher.
What the challenges, and, or rewards of teaching, and how teaching has challenged since you began your career? Mrs. Diana feels that sometimes you just cannot tell if you are getting through, saying relevant things. The rewards come when you get feedback from your students or when you see them years down the line, and they sometimes remind you of something you said or did that impacted them.
The greatest challenge she finds in the classroom nowadays is the cell phone. She finds that the challenge used to be getting the student to wake up, and take notice. Now even if you have that "gift," the cell phone is so accessible, and even more so, many students are convinced that they can absolutely pay attention and text at the same time. Unfortunately that is completely not reality. Mrs. Diana can see students missing the depths of what she is trying to teach, because they think they can multi-task. Not only in the classroom, but she thinks they are missing out on other important elements of life, because of their delusional belief in being an expert at multi-tasking. For example, the concept of deep and meaningful relationships has greatly suffered, because of the meaningless exchange of one-liners that get sent one to another.
When Mrs. Diana puts so much enthusiasm into what she is teaching, so here is life and fun t what we are learning. She is spunky, non-judgmental, and has so much passion for her beliefs. The purpose of this assignment was to find a teacher, whom I can look up to as a role model, and one of the best teachers I had was Mrs. Diana. She inspired me.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAs soon as I met Mrs. Rivka Cohen I knew that she is the kind of teacher I want to be. A veteran teacher at Torah Academy of Montgomery, she received her training at Anne Blitstien Teachers Institute and another secular college. I have never heard her embarrass a child or raise her voice. Her warmth is evident and it is apparent that she truly cares about each and every one of her students. She is very respectful of all her students and never have I heard her say anything derogatory about her them. Even if there is something less than ideal, she will twist it around to give it a positive spin. One of her students is particularly difficult, yet instead of speaking negatively about him she says, “Baruch Hashem he has so much energy.” Her skill at reframing every situation is remarkable. I sat down to speak with this remarkable teacher to uncover what makes her such a wonderful teacher.
ReplyDeleteBecoming a teacher was the natural thing for Mrs. Cohen. A person who has loved children all her life, she knew at the age of five that she wanted to work with children. Her childhood dream has come true, and now after teaching for more than three decades, she has many stories to tell. One of her favorites is the time a girl came back to her as a kallah to tell her that she was able to daven with kavana because of something Mrs. Cohen had said in kindergarten. This is what Mrs. Cohen describes as the most rewarding part of being a teacher. On another occasion, a boy studying in yeshiva came to tell her that he still had the mitzvah notes he had accumulated that year in her classroom. Although Mrs. Cohen finds it gratifying to hear positive feedback from her students, she stresses that this is not what we work towards. Even without positive feedback, she knows she is teaching and influencing many children, and sees this as the best reward of all.
As a person who truly cares about each student, she works hard to find a solution for every struggling child. She does this task remarkably well, yet finds this as the most difficult aspect of teaching, especially when the student has many challenges. She challenging to find solutions for these children, but realizes that to find the solution it takes a lot of help from Hashem. Mrs. Cohen shares the idea that we have to daven to Hashem for help. Not only do we need Hashem’s help to help the child, but we also need it to speak properly to parents with the upmost sensitivity, especially when relaying a difficult message. This idea of speaking to parents is something she has truly learned over the years of teaching. If we want to help our students we have to work with the parents. We have to become partners with the parents if we want the children to succeed. We have to make sure to speak correctly to the parents. Only when we have the parents respect can we truly help a child.
Teaching is a job that can be very rewarding yet very challenging. I chose to interview an educator at an esteemed school to find out a little more about teaching.
ReplyDeleteBeing an educator is not just a profession it is a duty. “If I have the capability to give to others, than I am obligated to help them,” She proposed.
Working with kids can be very enjoyable; it feels good when you receive positive feedback from your students, that they enjoy you as a teacher. There are many challenges and rewards to teaching. A major challenge for her is knowing which method of teaching works for each student. Some students need extra help and special techniques to help them learn properly, and it takes a lot of time to get to know each student and his needs. Also, it can be very hard to discipline the students when they are misbehaving. On the other hand, when you figure out which is the right technique for each student then you feel that you are helping your student develop.
Being able to figure out what method works best for each student can be very difficult, the best trick is patience. “Patience is crucial when it comes to teaching.” Students can sometime be very difficult with out patience it can be very hard to cope. Once you have patience, you need to able to relate and understand where each student is coming41 from. She figures out each student needs and cares for him properly.
Caring is a crucial aspect of teaching. In order to be a successful teacher you need to care for your students. It will help your students feel better about themselves, furthermore, if the students see that you really do care about them then they will want to please you, which they will cause them to listen and pay attention to what you have to say. This will help involve them more in the learning.
Another part of being a good teacher is being enthusiastic.” If you are a boring teacher, not only will the students not be interested but it will wear you out as well. Enthusiasm will keep you a long with your students interested,” said the educator.
Along with enthusiasm you need professional development as well. It is very important to have the desire to learn more. As the educator put it, “You need a love for learning.” Your love for learning can be contagious and it can effect your students tremendously. It will also increase your knowledge, allowing you to become a more educated teacher. In addition, constantly learning more things can allow you to have a variety of different activities planned for your students, which can be fun and creative for the students.
Being a teacher takes a lot of work and patience. You have to really want to be a teacher in order to be successful. You have to realize that you are not just teaching students, you are teaching the children of the future generation. It is a huge responsibility yet it is very worthwhile when done properly.
I knew I could ask Mrs. Cohen about the students’ differences now and back when she started. Being a teacher for over thirty years, she has had a front row seat on this issue. Although she sees no difference in skill level, she does see a different change in children. She finds students to be very knowledgeable about the world, even more knowledgeable then herself. Because of this we need to speak to children differently. No longer can we speak to them as naïve people, but rather we must speak to them about things they know. If they know it already, they should hear the correct perspective. She does find certain aspects to be easier now than thirty years ago. Thirty years ago there were very few worksheets or graphics. Mrs. Cohen drew all her own pictures and copied and pasted, making all her sheets by hand! Now there is a plethora of clipart and many other sources to make it easier to prepare work.
ReplyDeleteI was curious as to how she keeps things fresh after B’H teaching for so many years. She replied that she attends workshops as well as speaking with other teachers. She makes excellent use of the teachers’ services provided in her city. Very often she will repeat the same project from many years back, changing a few details. She does not want to change everything because as she said some of her best ideas are from the beginning. As she says, “oldies are besties.” However every year there are new issues, so new ideas are required. She believes that it is important for teachers to be comfortable trying new ideas, but also to not be scared to use old ideas. A balance of both is essential.
Mrs. Cohen concludes with what she believes to be the most important concept a teacher should feel. “We should never forget about our goal, the children. Our children are the most important.”
A teacher with a passion for her job will always inspire. I had a chance to interview Mrs. AlwaysCares, a teacher of mine from high school. I call her Mrs. AlwaysCares for the simple and obvious reason that she always took the time to check-in with her students and made it very clear that she cared about us all. Having graduated from her class several years ago, I had the unique experience of hearing Mrs. A.C.’s words from an entirely different point of view.
ReplyDeleteTeaching limudei kodesh in high schools for the last 13 years, Mrs. A.C. feels sincerely that she is in possession of a great treasure and is fortunate enough to be able to share it with her students. Teaching is not just a day job for her; she spends countless hours outside of class talking to students, helping them with problems and just generally being there for all the girls. It is clear from the number of waves she gets in the hallways to the number of times this interview was interrupted briefly by students making appointments to speak with her later that Mrs. A.C. is not only a popular teacher, but someone who has proven herself to be trustworthy, sensitive and helpful.
As someone with a naturally sweet and easygoing disposition, Mrs. A.C. admits without shame that her greatest challenge has always been classroom management. She feels that, as she teaches high school, it is appropriate to treat students as the young adults they are. If there is ever any talking in her class she will ignore, attempt to redirect attention and, if all else fails, call the name of the talker. She told me that in all her years of teaching she has never asked a student to move seats during class; She feels it is embarrassing to the student, and that it brings the entire class down to a more juvenile level, with childlike expectations and punishments. Instead, if there is excessive talking during class, Mrs. A.C. is more likely to sit down with her students and have a mature discussion about seating arrangements in class – do we/should we sit where we will have the most fun, or where we will be most productive? Similarly, Mrs. A.C.’s approach to uninterested students is calm and non-judgemental; She firmly believes that she cannot force a student to be motivated. Learning Torah is an amazing opportunity that changes lives, but if a student doesn’t want it, Mrs. A.C. isn’t going to try and force it upon her. She explains, very wisely, that she has seen enough girls pass through 4 years of high school to realize that with maturity comes greater understanding, and that the vast majority of students appreciate their classes much more with each passing semester.
In fact, watching students grow, excel and find themselves is one of Mrs. A.C.’s greatest pleasures. She tells me how rewarding it is to be able to tell a parent that their tuition dollars are being well spent – their daughter has utilized every opportunity to refine her thinking, her middos, truly her entire self. When asked if she ever thought sbout doing something other than teaching, Mrs. A.C. answered that every now and then it has crossed her mind that she could be making much more money in a different profession, but that she could never actually give up what she has just for more money. She shakes her head as she tells me that she’d much rather have the s’char olam habah than the extra cash.
ReplyDeleteOur light-hearted conversation turns more serious as Mrs. A.C. tells me that she becomes more worried about her students with each passing year. She feels that students are entering the school more exposed to the outside world, and, unfortunately, more affected by it. With each new group of girls comes a new sense of self-satisfaction, in that many students feel that they are doing everything right and have no need to change or improve at all. It is a testament to her caring nature that this bothers her immensely.
If only we could all be like Mrs. A.C. One of the most amazing things about her is that each and every student loves her and knows that she is loved in return. To be able to project that feeling onto numerous students every single day and make it seem effortless is incredible and a big part of what makes Mrs. AlwaysCares so special.
“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn." Benjamin Franklin. A teacher’s job is not just to tell over information or “teach” in front of a classroom. A teacher’s job is to inspire his students to want to learn in every way possible. That is the true challenge of teaching. Although there are many obstacles and challenges of being a teacher, the benefits and rewards that can come are far greater.
ReplyDeleteI decided to interview a woman who has been a public school teacher for many years, Mrs. Smith. The reason I decided to interview Mrs. Smith is because she is the type of teacher who loves involving her students. She is always trying to do different creative things in her classroom. She is very involved in trying to incorporate technology and things that students enjoy doing as a way to learn in the classroom.
The reason Mrs. Smith became a teacher is because she loved the majority of her teachers as a child and always loved school. When Mrs. Smith was growing up she had different jobs working in offices, as a pharmacist apprentice and other odd jobs. These different jobs helped her realize that she wanted to be working with kids. She wanted to help kids learn and contribute to society.
Some of the challenges that Mrs. Smith faces as a teacher are working with an administration that’s main goal is not how much the students actually learn but rather getting the best test scores. At the school Mrs. Smith works at, the focus on improving test scores in order to continue to receive awards for being an excellent school is the main goal. This makes it very difficult for teachers to actually teach their students. Another difficult challenge is class size. Mrs. Smith believes that having larger classes makes it very difficult to teach and involve every student. She believes class size impacts learning; the smaller the size of the class, the more learning can be accomplished.
Although Mrs. Smith has faced many challenges she feels that the reward is far greater. One of the biggest rewards for Mrs. Smith is when she sets up a learning situation, where self-discovery is involved and then “the little light bulb goes off in a students mind.” When a student figures things out on his or her own they never forget that information. She also enjoy getting visits or phone calls years later from students who tell her how much they learned or how she had a positive influence on them. That makes everything worth it.
The reason I want to become a teacher is because of Mrs. Smith. I love and admire the way she does not just tell over information; rather she involves and engages her students to a point where they want to learn. I think the biggest challenge for me, will be being able to express information in a way that my students will be excited and willing to learn like Mrs. Smith does.
Someone recently commented that as long as one is organized and likes to be in control, he could be a fine teacher. This didn’t sound right to me, but as the commenter was an accomplished teacher himself, I figured that he surely knows more than I do.
ReplyDeleteBut anyway, fine teachers are not what we are aiming to become, if there is the opportunity to become great, super, fantastic teacher instead. So, although these attributes can indeed be important and useful in this career, for those educating the next generation, there is a lot more that is necessary to have.
Mrs. K, a creative and fun fourth grade teacher, is definitely one of those people who does not make do with being a “fine teacher.” Using her natural artistic talents in her classroom, she tries to make learning as tangible, fun, and educational as it could be. Multiplication facts and state capitals are sung, reports are child-friendly, and projects are created as often as possible. Organized, yes, but passion and excitement is definitely there as well.
Fourth grade curriculum is not really allowed to change; kids need to learn specific facts and concepts before they reach the next level, but Mrs. K. says that the fine-tuning, past the basic syllabus, naturally changes each year. Some years she needs to be tougher and stay much more on track, while in other years, she can express her creative juices with her students. She bases her lessons around them, on their personality and needs, in order for them to learn and show what they know. Sometimes, this means more classroom discussions, sometimes more individual work, while sometimes it means more visual charts. This year’s class loves to write, so she finds herself doing many more writing-based lessons than she has given other years.
This idea is also her most frustrating part of teaching. Every teacher wants nothing more than to meet all the needs of every student, and when she can’t cater to each ones’ needs, it is so hard. Juggling over twenty students, each understanding at different paces and levels, the principal and her agenda, and every parent who wants her to do more work, less work, or different work, all without an assistant, it’s very difficult to meet all the needs.
I suggested Differentiated Instruction, something that we are learning with Dr. E., and Mrs. K. immediately mentioned that she is learning about that, as well, in a teaching course that she is currently taking. To her credit, she has started to implement this method, dividing the class into educational levels, yet she does not want the chaos that this sometimes brings. Even so, she differentiates as often as she could, for example, in her offering several choices for the students to decide what kind of book report they will do, allowing each child to learn through his natural intelligence.
Fourth graders are pretty young, and it can be difficult to break a very obvious concept down to their level. But Mrs. K. says that as long as she makes the material concrete and relatable, she doesn’t usually have trouble with this. This year, she is working on training her students to understand math story-problems and to know how to apply math in their own lives. Mrs. K. looks at their world, their friends, and their values, to help them understand the classes. When she does find that they still do not understand, she assesses their work and analyzes their mistakes to better follow their young trains of thought and recognize what wasn’t properly processed.
A classroom can be a haven or it can be a dread. Having a fun, but understanding, an experienced, but still learning, teacher running the show and teaching new and interesting things really makes the school experience enjoyable. Only then, these little fourth grade students can successfully continue on to fifth grade, Junior High, High School, college, and onward in life, keeping positive attitudes, pursuing more knowledge, and developing themselves to their fullest potential.
Could you imagine sitting on the floor with your teacher playing a memory review game? Well, if you were privileged to be in Miss T.’s class, then you would have experienced one very upbeat, creative and spunky teacher. Miss T. used to teach at a high-school in Dunwoody, Georgia. She is currently taking a Sabbatical to pursue a higher education, but she hopes to resume teaching in the near future. She kindly agreed to give up some of her precious time to participate in this interview. It was especially interesting to interview her. Since she is young, she is a great role-model to all of us soon-to-be teachers.
ReplyDeleteWhen I asked Miss T. if she always wanted to be a teacher growing-up, she responded by saying that she never really liked school. She actually resented most of her teachers. She became a teacher because she decided that she wanted to change a flawed system. She set out to create a classroom that was would help every student learn.
I was never privileged to observe Miss T. teach, but from her stories, it sounds like she was an outstanding teacher. Miss T. is a very insightful person. She was able to zoom in on each and every student and realize that student’s strengths and talents. She would try to gear her assignments to each and every student. She told me that sometimes she would give out three different projects at the end of a unit. The musical girls would have to write a song, the dramatic girls produce a play and the artistic girls would produce a picture. Her use of differentiated instruction helped her reach the students.
Not surprisingly, Miss T. loved teaching. She said that when she taught she felt a connection between herself and the students which she claims can only happen in a classroom. Miss T. really seemed to be in tune with her class. When I asked her how she controlled the classroom, she responded by saying that she sensed what the students needed. If they came in all riled up, then they would sometimes need a few minutes to talk it over, but other times she sensed that they were ready to move on, and she would not let them moan and groan. She also said that throughout her limited teaching experience, she was blessed with excellent students, who were really well-behaved and were not extraordinarily challenging.
But, her biggest challenge is keeping her class exciting. Miss T.’s main desire is for the students to love the subject. In order to impart such a love, she feels a strong need for variety in the classroom. This is challenging for her, because she really has to be creative and think out the box.
Another challenge that she faces is her age. Miss T. sometimes feels embarrassed to state her ideas around other teachers, because she is young. This can be challenging for Miss T., because she has good ideas, but she feels like she is silenced.
Lastly, I would like to conclude with a message from Miss T. Miss T. says that high school teachers should not be afraid to do something with their students just because it is babyish. High school students love creativity. It does not bother them to play games on the floor. They love it as much as any other aged child.
So, to all of you future teachers, learn from Miss T., and do not forget to be insightful and creative teachers, and generate students that are full of love and passion about your subject matter.
This interview was conducted with Mrs. Childlover. She teaches early childhood and I had the pleasure of being her assistant teacher in a Hebrew School. She is my role model because her love and care for the children is so obvious, and she is just an incredible teacher who really cares about her students. The passion for teaching runs in her family; her aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews and children teach. Her mother taught for 35 years, and her father taught for 46 years. Mrs. Childlover has loved children since before she can remember. She also considered going into the field of social work, but ultimately her passion for teaching children won her over. The reason that Mrs. Childlover chose to educate early childhood aged children is because she loves the innocence and purity of young children. She is delighted with the fact that her students enter her class with a clean slate and without judgements about school. She mentions that “It is so refreshing to work with children who are excited to learn and have such innocent quesions”. To Mrs. Childlover, the best part about is watching her students when they are engaged in a project and when she can see that they are processing, exploring, and experimenting with the information being learned. It is fascinating to watch the transformation the children make throughout the year. However, the children of this generation have a lot more problems, making the dynamics of the classroom different than they were in past years. There are a lot more emotional issues, lack of personal boundaries, and bigger social problems. The social problem is because there are so many computers and DVD’s around which prevent them from playing with their peers. Therefore, they don’t have the same social interaction as people had years ago, which blocks their abilities to resolve conflict and be flexible. Also, a lot of families have 2 working parents so when they come home from work tired each day, they have no patience for their kids. Hence they give in to the demands of their children very quickly because they have no energy to argue. In order to keep her students attentive, Mrs. Childlover creates a lot of hands on activities. This includes taking input from the children on what interests them and letting them explore those topics. If a child expresses his love for caterpillars, she will try to bring a book about caterpillars or have the art project be about caterpillars. If teachers will listen to their students and let them help build the curriculum, they will be more curious invested in their learning.
ReplyDeleteI asked Mrs.Klein a few questions about what it is like to be a teacher for 3rd graders ages 8-9. First I asked her why she went onto teaching her answer was ever since she was little she wanted to help teach people new things. The next question was what the hardest year of teaching is she said the first because you don’t know the materials or plan in advance and you’re trying to teach to so many different levels at the same time and it is hard to plan alone. Is teaching a good profession to go into is what I asked her next she replied if you do not mind working after hours then there are so many benefits to the job; you have an impact on how the children will grow up into educated adults. I asked if she likes being a teacher, she told me it can be hard work but the “teachable moments” when a kid asks a question and you get really off topic but you teach the class something that is a really great feeling. What is your favorite subject to teach, science and about the planets sort of like NASA but in the past few years I have enjoyed teaching early American History and doing fun projects. When asked how she feels at the end of a day of teaching she responded some days a bit tired other days I go home still thinking about a student I am concerned about. What type of class environment is it what type of students do you teach; she teaches religious Jewish boys, middle class, some are very bright and others need extra help learning. When asked if teaching is hard or easy she responded it depends on the subject, time of day, and type of class the behaviors of the children. A tip she would give to someone going into teaching would be, to be willing to be strict but caring and be excited about what you are teaching. A suggestion for preventing burn out would be, to talk to other teachers who have been teaching for many years, schedule lesson planning into the work week and try to stay ahead of the class both with making lesson plans and getting copies and supplies ready for class. The last question I asked was what is the most important thing to have in the class room; the answer was, something the kids can feel responsible for and care about like a project, bulletin board, supplies area, library, or their desk area. By asking Mrs.Klein these questions I feel I learned a lot more about teaching.
ReplyDelete