What Makes Great Teaching?
Throughout this semester, I have learned a tremendous amount of information on how I can be a culturally responsive teacher and create an inclusive classroom. For example, we should be telling every side of every story, no story should go untold, our classrooms should be welcoming for all students that may enter our door, we should also be speaking up for our students and their genders/cultures/beliefs. Every learner should have opportunities, representation, and support in their education, it is our job as teachers to make sure they are provided with this in our classrooms. If we had more teachers willing to educate themselves, put aside their own personal biases, and fully educate each student, our education system could be in a much better place.
I chose to include this quote in my blog post because it is so true and something us teachers should keep in our minds. There will be a select few who choose to actively make a difference in our education system and our students’ lives, and this quote serves as a perfect representation of that. If we want to make a difference, we’re going to have difficult conversations, we will have to make more of an effort, we will have to make our voices heard for a change to happen.
Hey Lindzie! You did such a great job phrasing the importance of making a difference in the education system. I truly believe it starts with us. By taking this course, we were all introduced with tools to make that necessary change. I also love that quote because it is so true. Most people think that teaching is easy. And honestly teaching can be easy if you want it to. However, the teachers that are truly making an impact in their student’s lives do not have an easy job. Teaching is hard but worth it. I also think teaching is one of those jobs that you have to have a passion for in order to do it right. All of the assignments we did in the course have given us very helpful tools in order to better ourselves as future teachers. Again, really good job on this blog!
ReplyDeleteHey Hannah!
DeleteI noticed you said, we were all introduced to tools to make the necessary change. I was curious to see which strategies stuck out to you most, from my experience I believe all the reading and reflection that we had to do during this course was really enlightening and showed me what changes need to be made and how we could make this happen. I do not necessarily think any part of teaching will be easy, but there will be easier and harder days in our time with this profession. Teaching requires so much passion, to fulfill your expectations as a teacher you must be motivated to do what is wrong and to educate our future students. Thank you for your response to my blog, I wish we had more time to discuss this topic because I believe we all have such great ideas after taking this course.
Hey Lindzie, your blog post this week was very great. It’s the last one and you ended with a bang! The question of what makes a great teacher is so interesting to hear for all of us future teachers. We have learned so much from this class and it has really shown me different aspects of teaching that I have not really thought about in depth that I would add to my own list of what makes a great teacher. I agree with you when you said, “Overall, this course encouraged me to change my mindset, to be comfortable with the “uncomfortable”, to not only educate myself but also the individuals around me.” I really like this comment. I sometimes try to stray away from uncomfortable conversations but this class has really helped me overcome that fear and get uncomfortable. Those uncomfortable conversations are going to make for a comfortable classroom and relationships with your student. Like you said, go the extra mile. It's never crowded. Thank you for your post and good luck! - Megan Williams
ReplyDeleteHey Megan!
DeleteThank you for taking time to read, connect, and analyze my blog post this week. It is extremely important for us as future teachers to be prepared for anything that might come our way, this is why I included my statement of learning to be comfortable with the uncomfortable because this will be more common than not in our future classrooms. My hope is that I can do my absolute best to learn, educate others, be open minded and to strive for change in my future classroom. I know this will take time, but I am more encouraged than ever after taking this course to learn every story, work on my mindset and beliefs, while eagerly teaching and educating our youth. Actively taking steps toward change, instead of running away from it, will speak volumes about an educator, that school, and the district they are in. Good luck to you, Megan.
Hi Lindzie, you did an amazing job summarizing what this entire course has really been about. I especially loved how you talked about being okay with being uncomfortable because I feel like that was what the underlying theme was throughout. Talking about race, gender, ethnicity, and equality definitely is an uncomfortable conversation, especially when you realize that this will still be a problem when we become teachers, and it will most likely still be considered a taboo subject to talk to children or peers about. Do we have the full picture was one of the most eye opening modules for me personally, because I saw that we do not have the full picture, or even close to the full picture. It is like you said important to be unbiased and fully educate our students in order to be the best teachers we can be. This was a great post, have an amazing summer!
ReplyDeleteHi Lindzie thank you for blogging this week you did an amazing job. It's great to hear that you have gained valuable insights on how to create an inclusive classroom as a culturally responsive teacher. In addition to telling every side of every story, how do you plan on incorporating different perspectives and experiences into your lesson plans to ensure that all students feel seen and heard? It's also important for teachers to understand that creating an inclusive classroom is an ongoing process that requires continuous learning and growth. What steps do you plan on taking to further educate yourself and stay up-to-date on cultural competence and inclusivity in the classroom? Have you thought about seeking out professional development opportunities or connecting with other educators who share similar goals?
ReplyDeleteHi Lindzie! I loved your final blog! I loved reading that you have learned a lot in this class because I have also and I will definitely be using some of these in the future. It really is so.important for us as educators to learn from our students and hear all perspectives. Im curious as to what your top 5 from this class were because I loved the 3 minute pause, it was a great time to reflect which I think I could use in my future classroom. How do you plan on hearing every students perspectives and stories, and also going about those difficult conversations. Loved reading your post and I also loved the quote!
ReplyDeleteHello Abbey!
DeleteMy top 5 for this class was Blogging, Golden Lines, Anticipation Guide, Read/Listen/View Multimodal Materials, and Text-to-World Connections. I thought each one of these assignments that we completed throughout the semester encouraged us to dig deeper into what we were reading, make connections/form questions about the topics, and allowed us to comprehend the materials we were given. I plan to incorporate reading/writing questionnaires to get to know our students, having an inclusive library, and communicating often with parents/students throughout the school year. As far as how I am going to handle the different conversations, I would say it just depends on what the topic is and who I am discussing it with. Of course, every situation will be different, but I will make sure that I am fully educated on the topics/content and will allow for students' voices to be heard when discussing these issues.
Hi there Lindzie! To start, I love the quote you posted at the top of your blog. I've noticed many people don't take the extra steps because it is not necessary. However, that's where the most impact is done. I really like that you tied in every single module we have done in class and pinpointed the importance of each one. I too enjoyed discussing the "uncomfortable" conversations. I believe that was the best part of the class. Taking the time to understand our classmates' perspectives was very eyeopening and although I may not have agreed with everything said, being respectful and showing empathy is the most important thing. If you had to choose, what was your most favorite strategy we used throughout the class?
ReplyDeleteHi Lindzie! It is so important for us to create and facilitate an environment where all of our students can share their stories and learn others stories. The best way to learn besides facts and typical textbooks is by listening to others experiences. The true way to learn is by going out into the real world applying what you have learned. My top 5 list was One Pager, 3 Minute Pause, Worditout, Th Six Elements of Social Justice, Black Out Poem. I saw your Top 5 List in your reply to another comment and I loved the Golden Lines as well! I forgot about it when creating my list but if I remembered, it would have been at the top of my list! I loved your comment about having an inclusive library! It may not seem like a big deal to some teachers because we have so many classic books that we have seen in our classroom libraries for a long time and it's time for a change! Our libraries need to be more inclusive not only to accommodate for our students, but to expose them in a positive light because they will most likely encounter someone in these groups!
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