When I was in 8th grade, I had a wonderful English teacher. She respected us and was knowledgeable in her subject area. She constantly challenged us and engaged us in whatever we were doing. My teacher constantly made references about current literature, movies, and music so that we were able to relate what we were reading in her class to our modern lives. She had the perfect balance between being our educator and disciplinarian, and at the same time being sympathetic and supportive. These are all qualities I believe middle school teachers need to have. They need to be passionate in what they are teaching to get the students excited. If the teacher does not like what they are teaching, then neither will the student! A middle school teacher needs to be a leader and a role model for their students. I believe that I already have respect for students. I am a sympathetic person and respecting others comes naturally to me. I do however need to work on being a figure of "authority" when it is necessary. I need to find the perfect balance that my middle school English teacher had. I believe this will come in time with experience and practice.
Middle school students need to acquire the knowledge they need to be prepared for high school. They need to learn how to be independent learners and to be active in whatever assignment they are doing. Specifically for English classrooms, mid-level students should learn how to participate in a discussion and to back up their point of view with evidence from a text. They should also learn how to be critical thinkers and to comprehend what they read. It would be ideal for middle schoolers to find a specific genre of literature that they like to read and learn how to read independently in their free time. Most importantly though, middle school students need to feel comfortable in the classroom. The teacher needs to create a safe environment. If the student is in a safe environment, they will be able to increase their self-esteem and be able to be successful in the classroom, and that is the most important aspect they can learn, if they hadn't already. Middle school can be a stressful and awkward time for students, but I believe that teachers have the power to influence students and to encourage them that they can succeed in life.
I really enjoyed your section on the attributes of a teacher and talking about your 8th grade experience! I think one of the most important things that you mentioned was how your teacher had related the information you were learning to topics relevant and current to an 8th grader such as movies and music. It is easy to forget that just because we lover our subject so much does not mean they are going to forget about what movies are coming our the latest sound track simply to focus on our class.
ReplyDeleteExactly. I think one of the hardest parts about being an English teacher is realizing that not only that students have other interests, but that they might not like literature! That is shocking to me, and I can't imagine a life without books, but that is reality for some adolescent students.
ReplyDeleteKarla,
ReplyDeleteI agree that teachers must be enthusiastic about what they are teaching. If they aren't or don't even "pretend" to enjoy what they are teaching, students will pick up on that opinion. In most, if not all of my education classes we have talked about this. I feel that it is important to realize that some students may not like what is being taught, but generally will like what you like- especially if they look up to you.
If a teacher is not passionate or show passion toward the subject they are teaching how is a student suppose to maintain his or her focus. I would compare teaching to acting in some instances. Even one teachers roughest days it is important for the teacher to put on a smile and show energy towards their subject/lession.
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting that you compared teachers to being actors because in another class we talked about the various types of teachers. One "type" of teacher was the disciplinarian, another was the comical or funny teacher, and the third one was the actor who was over the top and extremely enthusiastic all the time.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your statements about waht a middle school teacher should be like, but I do have a question in regards to what middle school is for. Is middle school really just to prepare the students for highschool? Depending on where you work, middle school might be the furthest that a student may o in their educational pursuits, and to be quiet honest, I remember my middle school teachers talking so much about haveing to be prepared for high school that it discouraged me. They gave me more hw then I got at any point my freshman year in high school! I digress though... my point being, should middle school not just be another time for the students to learn and to hopefully fall in love with a subject or be fascintated with a single fact they learned that day? And not some sort of 'prep course' they are taking until they reach their 'real' education at the high school level?
ReplyDeleteI know you are not saying the later of my statements, and I know you are not saying that middle school is just a 'hold over' but it is just something to think about and to maybe be aware of in phrasing... if you agree.
P.S. Reading this over it sounds kind of harsh, I do NOT mean for it to come accross that way though! Just wanted to make sure you understand that I do respect your point of view!
I agree with you. Middle school is not only a place for academics, but also a place for students to discover who they are as human beings. They discover what subjects they like and who their true friends are and what things interest them. I'm not sure what wording you are referring to that made it seem that we did not believe this, but I can tell you that whole heartedly do.
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