Dominique, our guest blogger,
asks,
Does how you envision teaching match reality?
Chapter 15, Bridging English
"Becoming a Complete Teacher"
To begin,
the chapter starts with defining oneself as a teacher. The main concerns that were identified from
an analysis of interviews with new teachers were
·
Relationships with
o
students
o
parents
o
colleagues
o
administrators
·
Classroom management
·
Handling the workload
·
Grading/evaluation
·
Autonomy
·
Physical appearance/likeability
The ultimate conclusion of this
study was simply that novice teachers get frustrated because of the disconnect
between their expectations of teaching and the actual experience. We would all love to teach fantastic engaging
lessons, and while we should (and we can), many of us get ahead of ourselves
and forget to really gauge the students’ needs first. One great example that
the book gives is of Beth Thompson. Like all of us, Thompson had incredibly
high expectations for her classroom. She
had all of these great writing process lessons, but discovered that many of her
students couldn’t read. Unfortunately, this is a very real possibility for us
as teachers, and it is an incredibly important thing to realize when
considering our expectations.
Shaping a Teacher Persona
According
to Bridging English, classroom
context is the most important phase of shaping one’s persona. Doubts about your
role as and authority figure will definitely emerge, along with doubts about
being an equal to veteran colleagues and parents. Tension and confusion will
definitely arise. The book recommends researching styles, as well as staying
true to the content that you truly enjoy to find your most comfortable teaching
style as well as experiment with alternatives. Most importantly, don’t doubt
yourself!
Building Public Trust
“Classrooms
that work best have strong bonds with the homes of the students they serve”
(458). As teachers, we need to always include families to maintain public
support. Bridging English recommends
three effective ways to build relationships with parents:
·
Include
·
Inform
·
Involve
Something as simple as a written
letter to parents that explains expectations
can really involve them. Although the parents of middle and
high school students may not be as involved as elementary students, we need to
encourage them to take a more active role.
Defining Yourself for Your
Job Interview
I
get incredibly nervous about interviews simply because I have no idea what
questions to prepare for. To me, it’s like an oral exam that I was not allowed
to study for. This table, on page 458, was incredibly helpful for me.
Interview
Discussion Topics
Top 10 Tough or Dilemma Questions
|
Top Ten Interview Topics
|
What is your philosophy of
education?
How do you handle discipline in
your classroom?
What are your strengths?
What are your weaknesses?
Describe in detail a lesson you
taught.
How would you develop … skills in
your students?
How would you set up a program in
…?
What if …?
Tell me about yourself.
Why should I hire you?
|
Classroom management
Student teaching
Personal strengths
Personal weaknesses
Hypothetical situations
Teaching style
Future plans
Employment history
Motivational theories
Health history
|
Obviously,
I couldn’t write about this whole chapter, simply because there were so many
great suggestions. To me, this was one of the most important chapters in this
book. I am so incredibly nervous about finding my groove as a teacher, but, as
one of my previous teachers once told me, you will be great teachers simply
because you do worry about these things. We obviously love learning, so we just
need to continue to be willing to learn as we go and improve upon ourselves.
Closing thoughts
Through your practicum/observation
experiences, have you already noticed a difference between your expectations of
a classroom and the reality?
How do you plan to develop your
teacher persona?
How do you plan to involve your
students’ parents in their children’s learning? How involved do you want their
parents?
How will you define yourself for
job interviews?
Bridging English, 5th ed. by Milner, Milner & Mitchell
