If in chapter eleven, I was overwhelmed, chapter twelve allowed me to breathe a sigh of relief. There is light at the end of this tunnel we call teaching and "teacher accountability." In reading this chapter, I felt as though Regie Routman were speaking to me directly, telling me to take a breath and concentrate on what is important. Her tips are invaluable because she knows how it feels to be a teacher in this day and age.
I read through about reducing paper and worksheets. I can completely relate to their overuse. When I teach my MAP Prep class, all I use are packets of work. I need to stop and think about how is that packet really teaching students. I need to be mindful of the time I have with students and reflect on what and how I am teaching.
I do need to ask myself "so what?" What was the purpose of that lesson or what did the students learn? What was the point and the outcome? I think too many times we move onto the next unit without thinking about how we taught the previous that we can be making the same mistakes with our students. I know that I do not evaluate and assess myself and how I am teaching, and I need to. I want to improve my student's learning, and the only way that they are going to grow, is if I grow as well.
Renee, I totally agree with you on thinking about whether the packet is really helping my students. It was also relieving to think about not planning some elaborate unit if it is really not worth it in the long run! I must say there are more days that I think of being with friends or family, than working on school work, and I think that is why I am able to enjoy working.
ReplyDeleteWhen my principal comes to observe me, he always looks for me to explain to the children why we are doing a certain lesson. I try to be cautious of this each lesson, but I do think it's very important for the children to understand why they are doing and why it has relevance.
ReplyDeleteI think that is so valuable, to explain the why. I don't always remember to, but it means a lot to even very young children to have a good reason for doing things. It also helps them visualize what we're working toward.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was student teaching, the principal required each teacher to note the standards that would be covered in that day's lessons. I think making sure the children know why we're doing what we doing is a lot more valuable!
Comments by Ashlay
ReplyDeletePacket,packets,packets. I remember in one of my first college courses we were given a packet. The packet was at leat 50 pages long and was due by the end of the semester. The only thing I learned was that I would never give packets out to my own students. I like your idea to assess yourself. I really need to do that as well. We live and learn from our mistakes.