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.
No comments:
Post a Comment