Attention Class

1. It's Not About You; It's About Them
I have always tried my hardest to have a student-centered classroom. If I feel I'm talking too much or too much attention is on me, I'll shift it around and give students a brain break, ask them to discuss something together, or simply give them time to quietly reflect on what we've done and then reconvene and share out thoughts. Sometimes I feel like I'm not doing enough in my classroom, like when I'm walking around during work time to check in with students, and they tell me they're fine and don't have any questions. It's at these times where I think...wait, am I challenging them enough? If they're doing this work without needing me, is it too easy? But then I'll wait, listen in on a few people, and then I realize that usually (not always) the students are asking their classmates questions instead of me. At these moments I feel like I have helped them learn to rely on each other to work through problems instead of always coming to the teacher, so I related to this first point.

4. Great Teachers Exude Passion As Well As Purpose
My students always giggle at me when I get really into whatever we're doing. Especially during classroom activities, I get so into everything that's happening and I rush around from group to group with this dopey smile on my face because I'm simply enjoying my life. There's always one student that asks me if I'm seriously that happy and they don't seem to believe me when I say Yes. 

7. Practice Vulnerability Without Sacrificing Credibility
I could be more vulnerable. I tend to put up walls.

After reading the article I can honestly say that my biggest hurdle is opening up and being more vulnerable. I readily admit to students when I don't know the answer to something - that's not what I'm talking about. I feel like a robot sometimes because I'm trying to be really professional with my students but I know I need to find ways to drop that facade and make stronger connections with my students. 

Comments

  1. AnonymousJune 22, 2018 at 8:10 AM

    I agree that showing passion is extremely important in the classroom. Some of the math teachers at my school have a running joke where they'll go into each others classroom and just write something on the board, look like they found the answer to a problem, and leave. They also joke about doing math problems in a group on their own time on the weekends. Little things like that, with the passion of a content area, can really get students interests peaked. When you care, the students care.

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  2. AnonymousJune 24, 2018 at 5:24 PM

    The passion you show in the classroom is so important to your students! When they see you so excited about what you are teaching them, they feed on that and get excited too! Just imagine if you didn't show that excitement...your students would be missing out on so much!

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJune 26, 2018 at 1:04 AM

    I think it’s important sometimes to let them “sink or swim”. When there aren’t any “grown ups” and you have a question, how will you know how to use your resources if you’ve never practiced that action. It’s tough to turn to your neighbor and ask a clarifying question because you risk sounding “dumb”. But really sitting there and not asking and then getting it wrong doesn’t seem “smart” either.

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