Blog Post # 9

Mr. Joe McClung, a third year teacher, has written a blog post at the end of every school year summarizing what he has learned as a new teacher. He has given us education students, as well as, all others in education some very good practical advice. It is great that he has taken the time to help us future teachers and other educators. This is a creative and useful idea. There is something in his post that each of us can use.

In the What Ive Learned this Year 2008-2009 post, Mr McClung noted that he did not know what to expect from being a teacher. I can relate to that because I am still just a student, and the actual job of being a teacher is a big unknown to me. He also wrote in his blog that he had grown and matured greatly over the course of his first year. I imagine that will be true for most of us, as well. Some of the other topics that he talked about, were making lessons student focused, being flexible, being reasonable, communication, and not being afraid of technology. Mr. McClung learned that no lesson will be perfect, and that what you plan to teach may often differ from what you actually end up teaching. Just from being a parent, I have learned that flexibility is very important. The things that you plan and the things that you do are almost always different. I had to realize that my focus was on my daughters and not on my own ideas and plans. He also said that we need to be reasonable when we set expectations for our students. Sometimes they reach them and sometimes they don't. According to Mr. McClung, communication is the best way to solve any problems in the work place. Communication is not one of my strong points. He also wrote in his post that we should not be afraid to use technology.

"Grown adults everywhere are afraid of computers like it's a bad horror film and computers are trying to take over the world."

I have family members who still feel this way. I think it is so funny how they use all of this technology in their everyday lives, but they think a computer is "bad". Mr. McClung also reminded us to never stop learning and always listen to our students. I think it is so great that Mr. McClung gave us all of this great advice from his first year of teaching. I know this will help me get off to a better start.

Three years later, Mr McClung wrote What I've Learned This Year. This blog post is the one that I find most relevant to me. His experience really shows in his blog post this time. I relate to this post a little more, maybe because of my age. I am 35, which is quite a bit older than most of my classmates. I have been in the workforce, whereas; many of my classmates are just starting out.I am also a parent, and I believe that being a good parent requires some of the similar skills that a teacher must have.

In this post, Mr McClung discusses topics such as knowing who your boss is, not expecting others to be as excited as you are, not to be afraid to be an outsider, don't touch the keyboard, and don't get too comfortable. He noted the importance of remembering that we must stay student centered. It is a difficult task to stay student centered while pleasing other people. If we have to choose between pleasing others and being focused on our students, then we should definitely choose to stay focused on the students. Mr. McClung also reminds us that others may not be as excited as we are about change. Have you ever been in a class where students are on their Facebook or they are just talking negative about the class? I know for myself, I am at college to learn as much as I can. I am passionate about learning and doing my best as often as possible. It is difficult when your peers mistake that passion for being geeky or an over achiever with what they call "no life". I have a life that includes a husband, two children,family members, a business, and many other aspects. This does not mean that I cannot do my best or be excited about learning. His next topic, don't be afraid to be an outsider, is related to this, as well. I substitute at my daughter's school, and I am the only teacher who sits with the students at lunch. I relate to them well, and I feel like I get more time to get to know the students better. I have seen the looks that I get from other teachers in the cafeteria. When I read the part in Mr. McClung's post about not touching the key board, I knew that I needed to work on that. I am so bad at that with my two daughters. I just want to do it for them. I know that the goal is for them to learn, but I just want to help them. One of the last thing's Mr. McClung discusses is about not getting too comfortable. I hope I will have his ambition to keep moving forward.

Mr. McClung's end of the year reflections are certainly beneficial. I am appreciative that he took the the time to pass on his experiences with future educators. I know that I have learned several things from his post, and hopefully I will be able to use his advice to be an effective teacher. It is great to have the perspective of a first year teacher, and to also have the benefit of the learned experiences through the third year.This was a great idea, and learning experience.