Sunday, August 26, 2007

Teaching Meme.....

I was tagged by Mimi, over at "It's Not All Flowers and Sausages", about a week ago and I'm sorry to say I'm just now getting around to doing it. Here we go:


1. I am a good teacher because...Truthfully, I'm not feeling like a good teacher these days. But to answer the question, I think I am a good teacher because I care about my students.


2. If I weren't a teacher, I would be...in journalism. I have always wanted to work at a newspaper or a magazine, either in writing or editing. Or I would love to work with children's literature. If I could make enough money at it, I would be very happy working in a bookstore.


3. My teaching style is...energetic.


4. My classroom is... comfortable. This year I've worked hard to minimize distractions, like using mostly blues and greens, and not putting up a lot of stuff on the walls. I also talked to the painters when they were doing my room, and they were able to paint one wall in my room as an accent wall and painted it blue.


5. My lesson plans... get changed a lot.


6. One of my teaching goals is…is to instill a love in reading in all students. I think it is so sad to hear a child or an adult say, "I don't like to read." Everyone should love books.


7. The toughest part of teaching is...the testing. I hate all the testing. And "No Child Left Behind". I really hate NCLB.


8. The thing I love most about teaching is... when a child finally "gets it".


9. A common misconception about teaching is...we work only from 9-3 and we get the whole summer off. Most teachers come in early, stay late, take work home, and write lesson plans and grade papers on the weekend. And although I do get some time off in the summer, it's not 3 months. It's more like 6 weeks. But I'm still glad for it.


10. The most important thing I've learned since I started teaching....to be more patient. And to choose your confidants carefully. The gossip among teachers is worse than high school!
I'm not going to tag anyone, but if you're a teacher and want to do it, let me know.
Have a good Sunday.
J.

10 comments:

Brother Dave said...

J - I do not believe that many teachers are paid what they are worth. However, there are a few teachers who are overpaid for what little value they bring to the educational process.

Another of my beliefs is that parents are too quick to blame the school for picking on their kids when it comes to discipline.

It seems that some school districts have a high performance rating and good reputation. And then there are the others.

As for rating yourself, it appears that you care about being a good educator, and that is what is most important, in my opinion.

Lisa C. said...

"7. The toughest part of teaching is...the testing. I hate all the testing. And "No Child Left Behind". I really hate NCLB."

Yeah, me too. It's one of the reasons I home school (among many, many reasons). It's all about money and not really about an education. There's not enough time for an education when teachers are being forced to teach for the test.

I think you sound like a very nice teacher with the best of motivations. I wish there could be more teachers like you!

Mimi said...

Love it!! Thanks for the FYI. I totally agree with you about the gossip part. I had no idea when I first started and now I am finally smart enough to have a few close confidants!

Hope this week feels better! :)

Jay said...

I always hated the tests in school too. They really are a pretty useless way to determine how much somebody has actually learned.

Or are you talking about teacher testing? Cause I'm totally in favor of that. LOL ;-)

David said...

A teacher MeMe; how cute. I'd better not do it on my blog...or better yet, maybe I should. HeHe. Imagine a prison teacher MeMe! That'd be funny. Maybe I'll just have to do that. Lemme think about it!

David said...

I couldn't help myself; I did a prison version!

e.Craig Crawford said...

Reading is of utmost importance. It opens doors into your mind. Great "left brain" stimulation, too.
Of course, there's English usage. A subject that I treasure in spite of the fact I didn't always test out that well in school. I have to constantly force myself to use the slang of improper English in my posts. Not all the time, but enough to not appear too .. "stiff."

Unknown said...

I'm starting to get into some copy editing work and taking an online course to re-familiarize myself with The Chicago Manual of Style. It's been a while! I'm looking forward to it and can always use the extra cash of doing it on the side for a while.

Don't even get me started with NCLB. I have huge issues with that and the way the Archdiocese handles it.

mitchgib said...

I work as a special ed teachers aide, and I love your answers. I like a classroom that is not strung from wall to wall with distractions. I also hate the gossip. I don't eat in the teachers lounge because of it. I would rather sit in my car for a half hour than listen to gossip !

Peace

Canadian flake said...

I have to say I am very impressed with what I read here. I think I have been drawn to your blog to maybe give me a little faith. sorry if that sounds dumb or not appropriate. I must explain that I have 2 kids...a daughter with ADD and a son with severe ADHD and let me tell you our education system has let us down. He starts grade 8 in 6 days and still reads at about a grade 3 level...his writing is even worse. In 8 yrs of school he has had 2 teachers that have given a rat's a** whether he learned at all...and has only learned minimal reading because of me and my husband. I applaud you and hope you keep fighting the good fight...the world needs more teachers like you.