#YourEduStory: Taking a Peek at Myself

#YourEduStory has presented a good opportunity to look internally and reflect.

By having access to weekly prompts, I was able to think more about my practices and approaches to teaching.  The questions and prompts promoted my own thinking and pushed me to examine my role as a teacher.  

The reflections tended to reinforce that I believe my students are capable of incredible things and that mindful interaction with the students will help get them there.  The questions also revealed that I feel strongly in the approaches that I take to motivate students and promote their learning.  And, of course, new thinking was introduced and re-emphasized that I can always improve.

Some weeks I could not piece together thoughts that I felt would make a cogent blog post.  Those prompts, however, still provoked my thinking and reflection.

The format #YourEduStory provided also exposed me to others’ blogs.  Setting aside time to view their blogs and comment was difficult, but I found the comments made on their blogs stimulated positive interaction. The format was also appealing since the participants were creating the weekly prompts.

Although I only started engaging with #YourEduStory in the later part of 2015, I found it rewarding and worthwhile.  The value of the experience would encourage me to participate again in 2016.

If you have experiences that have provoked reflection on your teaching practice or, if this post has generated some thoughts of your own, please share in the comments. I would appreciate hearing about them.

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This post is inspired by Share #YourEduStory. The prompt from @AppEducationFox was “What has the process of sharing #youredustory taught you? What have you learned? Would you do this again?”

Thankful for Four

The four things for which I am most thankful for in my school:

Students

The students make my teaching experience easy.  Although, there are struggles, frustrations, and concerns, those are far outweighed by positive interactions with the children.  Throughout my time as a teacher, they have been personable, appreciative, and curious.  They are willing to connect with me and are fun to be around.  They are willing to try new things and ask questions to delve into topics.  Clearly, teaching would be drudgery if students were not so engaging.

Colleagues

The people I work with are wonderful.  When you’re in dire straits, they are supportive.  When you need them to extend themselves, they are generous.  When you need them to give of themselves so you can pull off what you need to, they are generous.  When you need a sounding board or someone just to listen to you, they give you perspective, reassurance, and validation.  Without my colleagues’ expertise, I am not as capable.

Principals

The administrators that have lead my school have had one key element in common: each has allowed for innovation.  Even though they have had their own approaches, strengths, weaknesses, and philosophies, each has trusted and empowered the staff to try new ideas.  This has allowed me to make decisions in my own classroom to try the latest or less traditional approaches that have benefited the students.

Technology

I am fortunate to have a class set of Chromebooks for my students.  Each day the students are able to use them for reading, writing, investigating, creating, and publishing.  The technology has allowed me to give more immediate feedback to the students which has enabled them to learn more efficiently.  It also provides me with more time to engage with individual students as the classroom has become more student centered.  Using technology regularly also allows students greater opportunities for innovation during which they tap their critical thinking and creativity.

If you have things for which you are thankful in your teaching experience or, if this post has generated some thoughts of your own, please share in the comments. I would appreciate hearing about them.

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This post is inspired by Share #YourEduStory. The prompt from @msventurino was “What are you most thankful for in your classroom, school, or your own education?”