Winners, Whiners And Weenies

As teacher’s we are committing to a life time of learning and development of ourselves and our learners.

Education will always be the primary source of student’s success in the workforce, community, nationwide and globally. Teachers carry the weight of ensuring students are learning what is required to become productive members of society. As a teacher, the success of my students is the most important goal. There are so many pedagogies, philosophies, strategies, and materials teachers are able to use to be productive in the classroom. Every teacher has their own preferred

Their eyes met from across the room, and any student paying close enough attention could see the loathing in the teacher’s eyes as the principal walks into the room for the bi-semester teacher evaluation. In the blink of an eye the teacher returns her focus back on the students, but the obvious exchange between the two individuals makes those of us in the classroom that understand the source of the icy gaze extremely uncomfortable. My teacher hates the principal with a passion. Ever since the principal assumed control of the school three years prior to this particular evaluation, she terrorized my band director. Through micromanaging, criticizing relentlessly, organizing meetings incessantly, and sabotaging schedules, my principal fostered a hate from not only my band director, but also from the majority of teachers in my high school. The attitude and leadership techniques utilized by my former principal directly contradicts current theories of the scholarly community on how to effectively lead a school.

“Learners will develop the values, commitments, and ethics that positively impact the educational community as well as the educator’s own professional growth.” (COE-GCU Framework, 2010).

As a teacher, I have seen students who are gifted; students who can hear information once and it sticks. I have also seen students who become frustrated or apathetic; students who think they can’t do something or choose not to do something because it poses a challenge to them. Having just completed my second year of teaching middle school and high school English, I reflect on this past school year and am reminded that I have chosen a challenging career, but those challenges are miniscule when compared to how fulfilling it is to see a student truly excel. As a teacher, nothing is more gratifying than coming across a student who is motivated; a student who isn’t afraid to put in the work to reach his goals; and a student who not only shows academic excellence, but pushes himself to be the best he can be as a son, an older brother, a member of his community, a volunteer, and a captain of the soccer team. That student is Trevor Fancher.

This tool I choose this week discusses the benefits of becoming a teacher. I chose this tool because of the message it sends to teachers who might have forgotten all of the many benefits of teaching. It is a reminder that the profession we are is so important, and we must stay strong even when obstacles come our way. We must remember our mission to our students and

One fall, I sat in a crowded auditorium about to begin another year teaching when the words of the school head, Tom Hudnut, rang deep. His charge to the faculty was simple. “Be great teachers!” Be like the loon 's voice on a summer night. Be that great teacher whose memory and instruction reach into the heart and soul of those you teach. Born and raised in the private school world, I learned from many great teachers. However, none figure so prominently as my middle school teachers: Jim Gardner, Arnold Klingenberg, Jim

Results of Mentor Teacher Discussions: We again touch on the topic of never stopping with a child, even though a child might be greatly above the grade they are in or the grade you are teaching it’s highly important to go find more challenging work for them to be successful.

According to the University of Michigan, the average student grades 1st through 12th goes to school for approximately 32.5 hours per week, additionally spending 4 hours per week on homework outside of the classroom (Swanbrow). When considering those numbers it’s without a doubt that school makes up the majority of a child's life. Therefore one can see the potential for a teacher to be a hugely influential force on adolescents. In the story "Bodega Dreams" by Ernesto Quinonez portrays the extremes of the student/teacher dynamics with two very different teachers. On one hand, there's Mr. Blessington, a mean-spirited, tough teacher that is constantly putting the kids down and telling them they'll never be more than criminals. On the other, Mr. Tapia, a nice, gentle and motivational teacher who is building kids up. After Mr. Blessington pushes a kid to the edge and there's an assault, Mr. Tapia helps to cover it up because he doesn’t want anyone to hurt their futures. Even though both these teachers were extremes on both ends of the spectrum, it raises good points about teaching styles and how to handle children/students. When it comes to teaching and fostering children's learning after seeing both sides that a happy medium of positive and negative reinforcement, nurturing and tough-love is needed to create a healthy compromise in classrooms.

Teachers / Leaders: At Scholar For Knowledge we believe that every school is as good as it’s teachers. That is why our teachers have:

It isn’t easy for new teachers to jump into a school where things don’t go so smoothly every day. She claims that new teachers are put into urban schools where teaching can be a difficult task, where there are too many kids in a class, and where students haven’t even met their grade level requirements. The top reason new teachers leave their jobs at urban, low-income schools is because of the difficulty in managing class and student misbehavior. Shernoff includes the fact that in urban school’s disruptive behavior is seen three times more often than usual. This causes stress for new teachers who haven’t gained the skills to manage a class like experienced teachers have.

An educator who displays positive leadership takes time to encourage people in order to build them up, so that they may thrive within their environment. Therefore, I strive to model compassion to my students by perceiving their needs and listening to their concerns. I provide them the structure and guidance that they need to learn without being too stern or restricting. Establishing and maintaining a positive rapport with my students is very important to me. I want them to know that I care for their wellbeing. I believe that a high-quality educator should always strive to teach and model kindness within the classroom. I endeavor to show my colleagues’ compassion by listening to their concerns and voicing my concerns in a professional manner. I also try to encourage my colleagues during difficult times by providing guidance and support in any way that I can. I also think that it is important to complement colleagues when they

Kristina sets high standards and expectations for herself and her students in her presentations, lesson preparation, and behavior management. She seeks out professional input of seasoned educators for best practice and ideas to motivate and engage students. Her approach to teaching and life generates a warm and close rapport with her students and all she meets.

It bears mentioning that I care a great deal about excellence in instruction. My pedagogical stance is based in the power of the narrative. Whether I am teaching multivariate statistics, persuasion, research design or social and behavioral attributes of public health—I approach it as though I have a story to tell. I want students to learn, of course, but I also want them to be inspired to be their “best self”. I firmly believe that students are our most valued asset. If students believe the school to be their “home” and the people within the school

Next, we will discuss the teacher subculture of a school environment. Teachers are an important “subculture since they make the most contact with students” (Ballentine & Hammack, 2012, p. 216). The culture that is set by the teacher impacts the learning process by either helping students thrive or be unsuccessful. Also, the subculture that includes teachers can be further broken down into grade levels, content areas, or length of service. For instance, an inexperienced teacher will not immediately be included in the subculture of seasoned teachers. It will take time for him/her to be accepted into that subculture. A new teacher who tries to be too friendly to students may receive sanctions from