Class blog #9

The blog What I've Learned This Year, Mr.McClung talks about his first year of teaching. He discusses his expectations going into teaching and his realizations. He gave some tips that I felt would be very helpful to our future as an educator. Mr.McClung made an interesting point that he entered his first year of teaching, he focused so much on how his co workers viewed his teaching delivery that he forgot to consider how his students viewed his teaching methods. This was important to me because I know that even as a student I focus so much on the accuracy of my work, that I forget to consider the importance of the quality work I'm turning in. It was a great point that I will definitely value in the future.
Then another example, was that no lesson plan is perfect but if we should use a lesson plan always remain flexible. If you make mistakes, then you should keep on going and "work with them." I had the misconception that teachers are expected to be perfect, when they enter the field. I see now the reality of teaching , that I never considered. Communicating with your students and peers helps you to have a understanding with both. Mr.McClung suggests that we should be flexible and as teachers we should always take into consideration that we are dealing with students and we shouldn't hold them to such high standards all the time. That is important and as educators we should handle our students with compassion and understanding. Throughout this EDM class, we have discussed the use of and importance of technology in the classrooms. Mr. McClung just reinforces what we have been learning about technology in the classrooms, by saying that we need to not be afraid of it and incorporate it into our world as educators. One of my favorite points he made in his blog post was that we must listen to our students. As a student, I have seen teachers that have listened to me and some who actually don't listen to me. This is important and it allows students to understand that we are there for them. The last point Mr. McClung made was that teachers should never stop learning and educating themselves. Just because you have passed the necessary tests to become a teacher and went through the required years of school, does not mean that you are done learning. The more you educate yourself, the more your teaching styles can improve. Ultimately incorporating all of these different tips into your career as a educator will help me in the future.

What I Learned This Year 2010-11


Three years after his previous blog post, Mr.McClung wrote What I Learned This Year (2010-2011). This post shows how he has matured as a educator. His teaching expanded to becoming a coach and a computer applications teacher. I absolutely loved the quote that he put into his post that said,"Our decision making process should always be student centered and not centered around pleasing adults." This quote is plain and understanding but says a lot. I took from it that as future educators we may become so wrapped up in the opinions of our peers and daily life problems, that we may lose sight that students are the main focus. He also made a huge point by stating that we should always stay true to ourselves and our beliefs, even if the only person who believes with you, is you. That is important not only for educators, but for everybody. "Never touch the keyboard!" Wow! Can you say powerful?! I love this statement because it basically says that we should let our students learn on their own and not do the work for them. Saving the best for last, my most favorite point of Mr.McClung's blog is that as teachers we should never get to comfortable. As a student I become bored with the same old routine stuff. So continually switch up the lesson plans and techniques will be a vital part of teaching. I admire Mr. McClung for his honest observation. The majority of all the things I've read in this class so far, I can honestly say his blogs were one of my favorites and I plan on taking his advice with me in the future as a future educator.