Week 3 Reflection

Reflect on what you learned about creating community in your classroom from our visitor, Sylvia Allan.

I loved Sylvia Allan's visit, she completely changed my mind about morning meetings. Before her visit I thought they were ok, but the videos we have watched were extremely boring and I didn't think it was something I would do in my classroom. Now I plan to have morning meetings. I liked the stories she told about how the morning meetings created unity within the classroom. I learned that morning meetings were actually fun for the students and a must have in the classroom

2d. On page 22, Tomlinson says, “The truth is, we will never really do all each child needs us to do.” Later on this page she says, “The point is not to entertain guilt. The point is to relentlessly seize the remarkable opportunity of a teacher to shape lives – to do the best we can to ensure that we are better at reaching children today than yesterday, better at it this year than last.”

I love this, this quote not only works as a teachers but life in general. We can also do better and more but we are human and can't be perfect. Its important that we do what we can and try are hardest. We can't ask more of that from our selves. Its easy to feel down because we can't do everything we want to or need to.

Week 1 Reflection

1b. On page 10 of this reading assignment, Tomlinson says, “… we teach responsively when we understand the need to teach the human beings before us as well as to teach the content with which we are charged. … [It] is important to begin with the conviction that we are no longer teaching if what we teach is more important than who we teach or how we teach.” What does this mean to you?

One of the most important roles of a teacher is to create a safe classroom, where our students feel, they are an important member of the class and are not embarrassed about mistakes they may make in class, in other words they are willing to try and put them self out without the fear of rejection. Part of creating this classroom is to get to know your students and create a bond with them, learn the students individual needs, learning style, and knowing when a student does not understand the material. If a teacher worries only about getting though the material, a lot of students will get lost along the way but if they take the time to know our students, know what they understand, and find out what the class wants to learn. When doing this, I think the class will grow together and as a result learn more.

Also a large part of a teachers job in education youth is to teach the universal principle. In doing this a teacher may have to drop what they are doing to teach a life lesson and prepare the students for the life they have before them.