Since teachers are now told to be as flexible as possible with technology and how necessary personal updates are, I have decided to blog while I student teach. Reading the blogs of others who are student teaching help me realize what is in store for me. Student teaching is something I have been looking forward to since I entered the education program at the University of Iowa. I have worked painstakingly to broaden my horizons as much as possible to best help my students in the future.
Yesterday we got our student teaching placements and I am so thrilled to be placed in a third grade classroom in Chicago. As a former Chicago Public School student, I could never imagine myself ending up in any school district beside the one that I have always known. Third grade was my favorite year in school and I think it was a mixture of the excellent teacher I had and the age I was. My third grade teacher is the best teacher I have ever had. I still have such a crisp memory of her being kind and nurturing while pushing us to challenge ourselves every day in the classroom. She is the kind of teacher I hope to be. I remember this one unit we had on Lewis and Clark- she brought in fake raccoon hats and boat paddles for us to dramatize the history we were learning. Instead of reading a passage out of a book and answering questions (which I doubt I would remember), my teacher brought what we were learning into a tangible experience to help deepen the learning.
When I am student teaching this fall, I hope to provide my students with some similar memories about academic content that they loved learning. I know I will learn so much from my cooperating teacher and also from my students. Children are the brightest light I have ever seen. The name of my blog is Taare Zameen Par, which is a Hindi phrase meaning "stars on the ground". This refers to the notion that each child brings something so special and individual to the classroom. I went to India in January of 2011 to learn about the educational system and try to implement their strengths into my own future classrooms. I will discuss my findings more later in this blog, I am certain. But I did learn that such a simple idea- taare zameen par- can divide the teachers who will sparkle from the teachers who will fade. Teachers need to notice the gems within each student and help them excel and anything they try.
