What I've Learned This Year by Mr. McClung
A summary and response to the post by first year teacher Mr. McClung.
Mr. McClung sounds like the kind of teacher I want for my children. He is enthusiastic and experimental, while being reflective and adaptive with his lessons. This post “What I Have Learned This Year” was an excellent review of what has made him a better teacher throughout the school year. A few of his points, such as Never Stop Learning and Don’t Be Afraid of Technology are positions that I am sure carried over from his own education, but Communicate and Be Flexible are points that I think he truly learned through this first true experience.
Being flexible is a skill that must be practiced, and one that I feel you will need forever in the classroom. I have quite a bit of classroom experience as an educator, yet was reminded of my need to adapt and change in my most recent teaching assignment. I was given a unique experience this spring to work as a support class teacher, meaning I had every child in the school for some period of time each week. With a few exceptions, I taught the same artist or set of skills to every group that came to me throughout a week, from 3 year olds to middle school students. Naturally, there were many times that I would teacher the same lesson 3 or 4 times a day, for 5 days in a row. The lesson that was taught on Monday morning was often unrecognizable by Thursday afternoon. If a teacher reads her audience, enhances instructions, adapts examples, and adjusts assessments, one can end up with an exemplary lesson. I found every lesson plan had to be rewritten at the end of the week to reflect what I REALLY did in those classes.
Mr. McClung is very wise to recognize the value of good communication. It is indeed “the best way to resolve any issue I the workplace”, and everywhere else. The issue is not simply communicating, whales communicate, but communicating well. Those who communicate well already understand the importance of doing so, and those who do not usually don’t know it. There are few lessons we can teach our students that are more important than how to be a true listener and to share with someone else their thoughts in a clear, non-offensive manner. I feel sure Mr. McClung was a really good teacher this year, but next year, WOW. He is striving toward excellence.
I know Mr. McClung vey well, but only through blogs, twitter and Skype sessions. You are very perceptive. He certainly is a teacher I would like my grandchildren to have. For the reasons you outline.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I know you much better. From how many classes? And through your blog posts, movies, and comments on other blogs. And I would also be delighted if you were the teacher of my grandchildren! My highest compliment!
Thank you!
I was impressed that Mr. McClug cared about his student so much that he would not only sit back and reflect upon his first year, but also that he would take the time to post a blog about it, in hopes that other teachers might benefit from his own learning experiences.
ReplyDeleteI like what you said, "The issue is not simply communicating, whales communicate, but communicating well," because it's very true for many teachers today. If our students aren't understanding what we are saying, then there isn't much learning going on. But it also goes so much further than that. Good communication skills can be such an important asset to have, even if it's just being a good listener. As educators, we have to be teachers as well as caregivers in a sense, and communication is vital to a child's needs.
Thanks for a good post!
-Laura Ashley