Blog Post 8: Mr. McClung's First Year

Mr. McClung wrote what he learned his first year of teaching in this blog post. Check out his post here. When he was in college he thought his classroom would be teacher-centered, but he found having a student-centered classroom was more effective. He also found that letting the students help him guide instruction can be an effective strategy because they stay more interested and they do not get left behind when you try to push forward too fast. He also found being flexible is important. Perfect lessons are never going to happen and you have to be ready to go with the flow. Another lesson he learned is that the ability to communicate with both students and other teachers is an essential skill. Building relationships will help to resolve conflicts more easily. He found teachers need to hold high expectations for their students, but also support and encourage them if they do not meet those expectations. He points out we should not be afraid of technology because it is essential to today’s society so we should just “jump in head first.” Another important thing to do as a teacher is to listen to your students. Mr. McClung learned that taking an interest in your students lets them know you care and builds mutual respect. And lastly, teachers should always continue to learn and grow as educators. We do not know everything and we should accept that.

I agree with everything Mr. McClung says in this post, especially the part about not expecting your lessons to turn out perfectly all the time. This can be a very difficult thing to accept for some people, but I think it is essential to keeping your sanity. Listening to your students will help you understand their behavior better. If you don’t know why they are saying or doing something, you may completely misinterpret it and your response may stay with the child for life even if you don’t realize it at the time. It always surprises me when teachers do not want to implement technology because it is such a great asset. I know it can be frustrating, but the rewards are worth it. I also agree wholeheartedly that people need to continue learning as much as they can all the time. We need to set a good example for our students and show them nobody knows everything, not even their teachers. It sounds to me like Mr. McClung will be an effective, respected, and loved teacher. I wish him more future success!