Questions in reference to teaching while working full-time in the fire service:
1) Has teaching improved your “on the job” performance in the fire service or vice versa, and if so in what ways has it done so?
“Teaching has both hurt me and helped me in the fire service. I have to keep up with the latest trends in the fire service. This is an advantage to most people as the fire service because it is reared that most crews keep up with current trends. Unfortunately, officers like there (old School) training so what I know is sometimes looked down upon as (textbook) firefighting.
2) How do you balance work, teaching and home life so that they all function smoothly together?
“Well, it has not always been easy, but my family has been my
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“My strengths I would say are that I’m very energetic and know the material well. I can keep a class entertained enough so they can learn. My weaknesses, when I teach I tell them the brutal truth, unfortunately that is not always politically correct or what the SCFA wants me to say. So I do spend allot of time in the SCFA office explaining my actions. I stay in trouble”
3) What do you do for students that are doing their best and still are not succeeding, passing or understanding the material or class that you are teaching?
“I find study groups work the best. If I can’t get the material across to them maybe a fellow student can. I try to organize them for longer classes.”
4) Have you infused any outside influences into your teaching and or curriculum?
“Yes my college education and physiological case studies of fire service personnel.”
5) What classes can you teach in your program?
“I can teach over 30 classes. I teach all the Firefighter curriculum al the way to IFSAC Firefighter II. I teach the driver operator curriculum completely through IFSAC Pump operator II and Arial Operations. I also teach several of the courses in the officer’s curriculum.
6) Is there a specific list of topics and texts you have to follow when planning a class, if so who mandates it and where do you go to retrieve this information?
“Yes, every course I teach has an instructor’s manual. They
Mrs. Brenda said Learning may decrease in the classroom when students feel helpless or unchallenged by their teachers in the classroom. Some other strategies that Mrs. Brenda said she uses are: Having a daily routine and sticking to it as much as possible gives the children the heads up on what to expect next, it also gives a sense of comfort in just them knowing they can do it because, they have been doing the routine repeatedly. Being consistent is the main key to success. Some techniques she uses daily are when redirecting behaviors or concerns, talk to the children, letting them know the conversation verses talking at the child this lets the child come to his or her own conclusion to the resolution (be a good listener). This skill can later lead to a lifelong lesson of problems solving steering the child to be a more productive member of society later in life.
My greatest personal strength is that I am comfortable speaking to large groups. This will enable me to clearly give information and guide the ensemble effectively in any situation.
Based on the Clifton Strengths Assessment my top five strengths are strategic, deliberative, learner, maximize and individualization. As an individual, I rarely look into my weakness. I believe that when your too focused on your weakness, you forget about your strengths. Everything the book said is true, and we need to take the time to look at our strengths and make it perfect. It is true that in this world or the school system, we are taught to look at our weakness and correct it so that we can become stronger in our life. This book brings out the truth that I longed to hear for a long time. Invariably, I hear my professor tell their students that for them success in life, they must practice and look at our weakness. This book proves it wrong because for us to become successful, we must stay to our strengths’ path.
Teaching is an extremely important profession as we are responsible for training up the future generations of our community, country and in effect, the world. In order to be a successful and effective teacher there are some basic skills and competencies that one must possess. The experiences that students have inside (and outside) our classrooms, schools and various other institutes will shape and mould their approach to our subjects and to life in general. Therefore, it requires a certain level of skill and training to be deemed professionally fit to enter into this career path and even then, continuous
These strengths include organization, participation, and creation of checklists. I feel I stay very organized in this class, as I have all of my documents organized inside my binder ready for a notebook check. In regards to participation, I try my best to raise my hand nearly every class. I stay active and focused so that I can obtain all of the information. I also ask questions frequently which helps me to avoid mistakes or any confusion. My final strength, the fact that I create checklists, has benefitted me immensely. Checklists help to make sure all requirements are met for any project or essay, which is how I received a 91 on my Pilgrim Presentation and an 85 on my Canterbury Tales Short Essay. Checklists have helped me to score higher on assignments with multiple requirements, but not all assignments were as simple as creating a
One of the biggest challenges I am confronting is managing and balancing my school with my work, family, and church responsibilities. Although multiple roles create stress in
In today's century it is essential to have an education to enhance your job and provide a comfortable future for your family. After having children we realize that education is significant in order to succeed. While working takes a lot of time away from family, adding school to your schedule makes it difficult to spend quality time with your children. The problem most people face with balancing school, work, and family is being an excellent student, an outstanding employee, and a caring parent all in the same day.
My strengths are my self-confidence, determination, organization, and ability to prioritize. Balancing an overloaded school schedule, upwards of 24 credits in a semester, maintaining excellent grades, raising a toddler, and volunteering are demonstrative of my greater fortes. In terms of weaknesses, public speaking has always been difficult for me, as well as networking. I have branched outside of my comfort zone, engaged in volunteer opportunities, student organizations, and clubs as an effort to improve upon this.
Thirty years ago, Brad Miller, the current Fire Science Teacher at Portola High School, was sitting behind a desk at Quincy High School, taking a similar course to the one he now teaches. During his time at QHS, he was able to take a Fire Science course that launched him into Wildland Firefighting. Right after graduating he joined an Engine Crew. He stayed with the Forest Service for about 10 summers while he went to college and continued after he got his teaching credential. He started teaching at Portola High School in 1991 and in 1993 became the Fire Science teacher until the course was
My teaching role is to deliver professional courses that meet the governing body’s standards whilst adhering to their policy statements and codes of practice. Whilst delivering courses I use a variety of teaching methods to engage, motivate and support my learners in achieving their goals. Examples include roleplaying emergencies with simulated casualties, discussion, group work, podcasts as well as course PowerPoint’s and guided study through the learner workbook. I hope that clear communication; passion, professionalism and flexibility in my approach are evident to all the learners.
The biggest strength I have is to be creative with the situation that I am given. This in not only a skill that suggest that one can synthesize material to give it a sense of authenticity, but also can adapt and accommodate in the moment. Even the best planners can have a poor classroom dynamic; the rigidity of these classes is what prevents them from engaging students in the moment. I genuinely believe in effective planning and mythology but I also believe in breaking from the script and to accommodate the needs of learners in creative ways.
My personal strengths are that I am a keen learner and organized person because like Benjamin Franklin I believe that if I fail to plan then I am planning to fail. Above all I am confident that I have made the right choice and that I am a suitable candidate for
My strengths include not interrupting the speaker, maintaining eye contact to show I am actively listening, and being able to think critically about complex topics. Not interrupting a speaker and maintaining eye contact are skills I acquired early in my career to display my engagement and respect for the speaker. Understanding complex topics is something I continually learn how to do. This is aided by conceptualizing detailed knowledge and constantly learning more in the areas related to my field. My main weaknesses are the following. I don’t paraphrase the message to ensure I comprehend it. Typically, halfway through a presentation or meeting I have already formed my judgements of the speaker and the content. Often, I become distracted by a single point mentioned and am unable to identify all of a speaker’s main points. Now that I have identified my primary weaknesses, I can begin to improve upon them by altering my
3) Let students know that you care about them. Although many of us assume our students know this it 's not necessarily the case. Let the students know that you want them to succeed, whether it be to pass your latest test, or class, or graduate from college and get a good job. Let them know that you appreciate the work they do on classwork, or a test, or homework. Take the time
The strengths I have: being efficient and organize. I have to have everything a particular manner before I write, perform, or do almost any jobs. Occasionally this can cost me lots of time. The weaknesses that I have are a perfectionist and impatient at times. I was used to working at a substantially faster rate than those around me. Sharing information and interacting with others is when I learn best. Understanding my weaknesses assists me to plan methods to conquer them when I am doing tasks and socializing with others. I must be kinder to myself and less strict about matters being merely so. I also need to be more delicate and comprehensible of others who tend not to take up my perfectionist styles. I also should be patient with people who take longer time to work. Since I have got a tendency to delay works when I do not feel like doing anything, I, therefore, need to create a regular schedule with integrated rewards and times for learning and acquiring assignments done.