Blog Assignment 9

What I've Learned This Year (2008-09)
By: Mr. McClung

This post by Mr. McClung was written in regards to his first year of teaching. He starts off by talking about how he was not sure what to expect because he was young and inexperienced. He then states that after his first year of teaching he learned a lot and also matured as a person and teacher. Mr. McClung says that while he was in college he developed a mindset that everything was always about him (the teacher). He says that many people have that mindset and lose touch of what they are actually doing and that is helping students learn. I think that many teachers do that and get so caught up in their lesson and how they are doing as a teacher that they lose sight of the children. Our goal is to help them learn and comprehend things. It is not about how we give the lesson, but about making sure the students understand. Mr. McClung also talks about being flexible. He states that "NO LESSON IS EVER PERFECT. THE LESSON YOU TEACH AND THE ONE YOU PLAN IS ALWAYS DIFFERENT." He is so true when he says that. Teachers plan out their lessons and want things to go exactly how they planned, but a lot of times things come up and plans need to be changed. It is key to not make a huge deal about small mistakes and teach the lesson the best way that you can. Mr. McClung also talks about being responsible and expectations that teachers have regarding their students. He points out that many teachers set high expectations for their students, but when they fail to meet them they get upset with the students. This is the worst thing teachers can do. Students are in school to learn. If they are being scolded for not understanding things then they will become discouraged. I love what Mr. McClung says when he says this "Our job as teachers is to simply pick them up after they fail, dust them off, and encourage them to try again." He is so right. We as teachers should always encourage our students to keep trying. The next thing Mr. McClung talks about is technology. He says that many adults are afraid of technology. Technology really isn't a bad thing. It can be very helpful. One thing I have learned in Dr. Strange's class is that we are all lifelong learners. We should never be afraid of new technological advances. We should always be willing to try new things because technology can only help. The last thing that Mr. McClung talks about his never stop learning. Like I said just before. We are all lifelong learners and should always be open to new ideas.

What I've Learned This Year (2010-11)
By: Mr. McClung

This post by Mr. McClung was written in regards to his third year of teaching but his first year to teach at the same school for more than a year. Mr. McClung starts off by talking about many new experiences he had during during the '10-'11 school year. These experiences are his first time being a head coach, coaching cross country, and first experience as a computer applications teacher. He then talks about knowing who your boss is. He says that many times teachers lose sight of what we are trying to do and that is teach students. Often times we start trying to please adults when instead we should be focusing on our students. He also touches on the fact that no matter what we have going on in our personal lives, we must never let if affect our job as a teacher. The point is we should always be student focused and we should always make sure that we do our best job as a teacher so that our students can learn and grow. Mr. McClung then talks about change and not expecting others to be as excited about change as you are. He says that he is the type of person that gets excited about new ideas and new things but there are also those people that do not care one bit about new ideas and would prefer to not have to learn about them. He then states that the moral of this lesson is that you can't let others get in the way of your excitement and joy about new ideas. I agree with him. If you are excited about something but a teacher you know thinks it is stupid, you shouldn't let their opinion bother you and bring you down. You should stick to what you believe in and what you think will help you teach. He then talks about not being afraid to be an outsider. This goes along with the previous topic. He says to be true to yourself and don't be afraid to be an outsider. It's okay to be different. It is okay to think differently than other teachers. Be the teacher that you want to be not the teacher that others want you to be. The next thing that he talks about is something I totally agree with. He talks about when a student has a problem understanding something, we as teachers often take over and do the task for them. We should not do that. Like Mr. McClung said, if we take over and do it for them, the student will never truly learn how to master the skill. If we keep encouraging them and helping them they will figure it out and in the end they will excel. The last thing that Mr. McClung talks about his not getting comfortable. Many teahers after a few years get into a routine. He says that he began to pick up new tasks and joined committees that prevented him from developing a routine. This is a really good idea. We should be willing to try new things and move forward.

I really enjoyed reading both of these blog posts by Mr. McClung. He makes a lot of good points and I have definitely learned a lot from reading these.