1. Consider the word “teacher” We, as does the public, have many ideas
surrounding this title. Imagine dropping the title “teacher”.... What lies beyond
the title?
I have always been annoyed at the used of teacher with general public. When people hear I'm a teacher they automatically ask "what grade do you teach?". Do they think that teacher means you are automatically a KD-5 classroom instructor? or do they have to know what age group you teach to determine your worth? But then again I don't know what would be a better question for them to ask. I have always referred to myself as an art specialist, but then the general public looks at me confused. I have taken to saying when asked "what to you do?" "I teach KD-8 art". The title teacher is way too general. Webster's definition of teacher is a person or thing that teaches something; especially : a person whose job is to teach students about certain subjects.
2. Contemplate deeply the idea of truth speaking. Reflect on your classrooms and
your relationships with your students... How and where is truth speaking
present?
I try to be open and honest with my students. I don't want to flat out lie to any of them; this is my philosophy as a parent as well. This is sometimes difficult with younger student. Christmas is always rough for me. I tell my daughter that Santa is just a game that we play and he isn't a real person, same will the Easter bunny and the people in costumes at Disney world. I've been told "your crushing her childhood" but I want her to trust me and not be hurt when she finds out the truth. I've had students who ask "is Santa real?" I never know what to say. I don't believe in lying like that. The world is full of magic, wonder and life lessons why should we lie to children to try to teach them that, why can we let them see it for themselves.
3. Thinking back through all the reading and reflecting to date, write a personal
classroom mission statement. Something you could put up in your room. After
you come up with this statement, share it on your blog and talk (truth speak) a
little bit about how you arrived at this statement,
Mission statement soon to come!
4. Reflect on some ways your consciousness about teaching has expanded since
the start of this course and how does this relate to your goals? Do your goals
need tweaking at this point? Restate them here (as they were or as they now
are).
My goal was to be the best teacher for my students but I need to understand my students more to accomplish that. I have given some of my students a survey to understand how they feel about me and art in general. it was good to know most of my students like me but it still don't tell me how to be better.
Adair, an interesting point you bring up around the holidays and I think you answer it with "The world is full of magic, wonder and life lessons why should we lie to children to try to teach them that, why can we let them see it for themselves." We need to model it as well. Sometimes Ill respond with a question (with a sparkle in my eye) that lets them mull things over.
ReplyDeleteOn a personal note, I don't think your crushing your daughters childhood. I told BOTH my daughters that it is the "spirit of Santa" that lives in us all and is expressed through our hearts. After all, Chris Kringle was a real guy. :) Follow your heart. The fact you hold the same standards for you students as your own child tells me you authentically care about your students. It takes courage to not have one standard at home and another at school. You're on the right track.
Using surveys are a good tool, forming the right questions on surveys can be a challenge. Let me (or any one here) know if you want feedback regarding any you're putting together. Sometimes with younger's, tapping into their imagination through art can be more telling... take a day and have them draw "Their idea of the best art day ever" or something like that. You could list a few ideas you want them to include, like "What is Ms. Stoken doing ?" "What is your dream art project?" etc.... That will tell you a whole lot about them, and also give you useful information about how they see you and the art room. Observing their process in dealing with an open ended question is also telling. :)
-I have had many similar conversations about teaching. I am starting to think that most people lack understanding or have misconceptions about education. As a result, they don't really know how to seem interested. I once told someone that I help raise 400 kids. This brought on some fresh questions. I can't get too annoyed though, because I know very little about many others' careers.
ReplyDelete-This is my first year, and I'm already fed up with the Santa queries. "Billy says Santa isn't real! Is that true?" I began telling kids that everyone believes differently and it's up to each individual to figure out their own beliefs. The first time I said this, I added "some people don't believe Jesus is real." Hannibal is a very religious community and this astonished the kids. I can't decide if I was a helpful truth or if I should just shut up sometimes...
-Do you feel like your students understood the survey or actually put effort into it? I feel like the results never help me learn how to improve either. It's always so much more helpful to talk to them about it, but who has time for that? I've thought about just putting a comment box outside my room and asking students to give me feedback when they choose, but I'm afraid the "students from hell" will just use it to cause trouble.