Final Blog Post
Although being a teacher has its
challenges, I do think it is most likely the career path for me. Some of the
challenges that are concerns for me include being able to effectively teach each
student in the way they need. I think it could be hard to have a classroom
where several students have IEPs because a teacher needs to make sure that all
of their learning needs are met. So many students are at different levels in
their reading, writing, and math skills. Making sure each child is experiencing
growth seems daunting to me. Having students who are brand new to the country
is another challenge because the student is learning both a new language and a
new culture. Managing a classroom can be stressful at times too. A teacher has
a lot of responsibilities beyond teaching such as planning engaging activities
and preparing for them. Despite all of these challenges, I enjoy working with children
and I hope I’d be an effective teacher for them.
In the Service Learning, I worked
with small groups of fifth grade students at different levels in their reading
ability, including those who read at a third grade level. These students needed
a lot of help with the vocabulary in different fluency passages we read
together. Also, I learned that over the years they had become skilled in covering
their deficiencies by mumbling through words they didn’t know how to pronounce.
It was important to do a choral reading together first so they could hear the
correct pronunciation. I also discovered that I couldn’t assume they understood
the meaning of a word even though they spoke English well. For instance, one
ELL student that I worked with didn’t know what “individual” meant. This helped
me realize I needed to be more aware of their comprehension of vocabulary
before moving on.
Another issue I noticed was that
some students skipped words when they read or added words to the text. Often,
it didn’t change the meaning of the passage, but they weren’t reading exactly
what was on the page. I came up with the importance of accuracy over speed. I
explained that it wouldn’t matter if a person could kick a soccer ball really
fast and hard but they never got anywhere near the goal. Another analogy I used
was someone just running fingers really fast over a piano keyboard but not
hitting the right notes. I emphasized that if they worked on accuracy first,
the speed would follow. This seemed to click for some students but for others,
they still want to read fast and get it over with. This was sometimes
frustrating for me because I knew it would affect their reading assessments. So
as a teacher, I’d have to figure out another way to reach these students who
are not careful readers.
Another thing I realized was that
just as adults have days where they’re tired and a little grumpy, students have
their bad days too. Sometimes I even saw students putting their heads down on
their desks in the late afternoon. I thought the teacher I worked with did a
great job of encouraging them to “hang in there” so they could still benefit
from the lesson. Also, I realized how much patience a teacher needs to have. I
had to make a conscious effort at times in the small reading groups to not be a
little grumpy back when students kept asking me “How much longer?” Sometimes
their attention span seemed really short and they were easily distracted.
Again, I think it’s important to be patient and realize that even if it wasn’t
a student’s best day, they have another chance tomorrow to do better. Everyone likes/needs/deserves
a do over.
My next steps include continuing to
take my pre-requisites to be able to apply for the Elementary Ed program. I
also think volunteering/working at an elementary school is one of the best ways
to get hands on experience in working with children and understanding all of
the different educational needs they have. It also reminded me of my own elementary
years and the impact that good teachers can have on their students. Even though
I don’t necessarily remember all of the things my teachers taught me, I do
remember how they made me feel and I especially remember the ones that I felt
cared about me and wanted me to do my best. Teachers have an amazing
opportunity and responsibility to be a really positive influence in their students’
lives and that is probably the biggest reason why I’d like to become a teacher.
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