Reading Workshop, Unit A-The First Days of School

How does this relate to? TLW read a professional text and connect the reading to other experiences.

Looking back on my first day of middle school or high school.  These were a little traumatic for me.  I had quite a few first days of middle school and high school because we moved a lot.  For me, not only was I introduced to a new school and several new teachers, but I also was in an environment where I didn't know a single person.  The first two can be overwhelming by themselves.  It was a new style of school since we didn't have one teacher throughout the entire day.  There is a lot of new things and a lot of transitioning and a lot more responsibity expected of you.  You have to learn to be more organized and keep track of what is due in each class and when.  I think that one big question mark was what each class and teacher was going to be like (nice or not so nice, warm or distant, by the book or engaging, personality or no personality, will he/she like me or not care)...

As a learner with the above experiences, I can relate to how students will feel when they first walk into my classroom.  It is my job to set the tone and calm their fears.  It is my job to ensure that it is a welcoming, positive, and respecful atmostphere.  That is the connection.

Now, in consideration of the first chapter of Unit A of The First Days of School, my text-self connection is that I will be experiencing some of my schoolday experiences once again, except I will be wondering how the students' personalities and reactions will be.  I will be nervous in the sense of beginning my first day and wondering how good of a job I can do; can I teach them in the way that they deserve to be taught, can I connect with them, do I understand where they are coming from, am I speaking in terms or language they can understand, can I earn their trust, and can I properly manage a classroom that minimizes disruption and elicit respectfulness towards everyone in the room? 

Most of the connections in the reading were text-to-text in the sense that they reflect a lot of what I have already heard or read in my classes this summer.  The jist of the Unit A is what makes an effective teacher which in turn makes for effective learning (for teacher and students).  It is important to be well prepared for the first day of class and establish control in the first week in a positive way.  A teacher needs to be proficient and can impact many lives, finds out important information about her students, and lets them know what to expect in the coming days.  A trusting relationship is built and there are positive expectations for student success.  She can manage the classroom and knows how to design lessons for student mastery.

Effective teachers beg, borrow, and steal teaching methods and lesson plans that are effective; they collaborate with other effective teachers for advice. They continue to learn through classes, workshops, conferences, professional meetings, books, journals, etc., and has a goal of striving for excellence (something that this cohort obviously already excels at--we wouldn't be here if we didn't strive for excellence already).  Like other readings and class conversations, innovativeness and presenting material in a way that engages students is most effective, with an emphasis to not teach in the traditional way we were taught (ineffective).  I liked how the book stated, "Teaching is a profession, and like all professions, its members must learn new knowledge and skills continuously.  Becoming a truly accomplished teachers is a journey, not a destination."  Just like the student, the teacher is a continual learner.  I also appreciated how the text mentioned several times that it is the teacher who makes the difference in the classroom, and by far the most importan factor in school learning is the ability of the teacher.  Furthermore, she must be able to translate the research and body of knowledge about teaching into increased student learning.  A teacher can make or break a class and this is exactly how it was for me in school.  In fact, this is how it has been for my son as well.  It was the interesting, fun, respectful teachers that made a class interesting for him and he in turn learned more.  He hated the classes where he didn't like the teachers--that says a lot.  And sometimes those classes that he hated were the classes that he would have normally been most interested in and vice versa.  He and I had this very conversation several months ago as well as the year before.

Yes, the connections helped me to understand the points that the reading was trying to get across at a deeper level.  This reading and my past connections and conversations with my son have reinforced the importance of my role as a teacher, how I can impact my students in a positive or negative way, and how I can affect their learning.  I will do my best to create the atmosphere and relationships as mentioned above, continue to increase my knowledge, and always be prepared with inclusive lessons while being engaging as possible with teaching processes I use to optimize their ability to learn.

In addition, since I have come across several common ideas/themes in classes and texts that have really reinforced their importance and seated them into my memory, I will be sure to bring up ideas or terminology in my class that is important to learn several times to reinforce the concepts in the learners' minds.

Engagement level: 10, So far I really like this book.