The year is 2013. I am 25 years old. I have lived in New York City (THE GREATEST CITY IN THE WORLD) my entire life and yet, I am living in the dark ages. I have to admit, as the title of my blog would suggest, that I have
never posted on a blog before. I have followed some design blogs,
stumbled across a few interesting fashion and beauty posters, but have
never been the one sharing my ideas, thoughts or opinion. I am sad to
say that I was always a follower, which it deeply pains me to even admit. So, I guess it is my turn to be the sharer. Here goes nothing...
As I prepare to become an educator, I can't help but think of all of the experiences I have had as a student. Who was my favorite/least favorite teachers? And why? What did they do that made them stick out so vividly in my mind? Well, I can tell you with absolute certainty that the teachers that I most enjoyed and therefor learned the most from, were the ones that were relatable, understandable, challenging and interesting. My least favorite took the enjoyment out of learning. They somehow took material that could have been exciting, mashed it up, and regurgitated the words printed in the textbook. This was usually followed by an assessment that asked the students to do the same. Here is where my biggest fear comes in - becoming one of the latter teachers. And each of you, I am sure, can in one way or another share in my experience.
So this is the question that I pose. How can we as educators become those relatable, understandable, challenging and interesting teachers? I think that we are all taking the first step together right now. Students, now more than ever are deeply interested in technology. And they know a lot more about it than many adults. When you walk through a school almost every student has an iPhone, an iPod, a laptop or some combination of the three. They are constantly hooked up and waiting for the latest and greatest to come through. As teachers we can capitalize on this intense obsession with technology. Through my active participation in internet publishing, and I am referring to the non twitter/Facebook/LinkdIn world, we are evolving. We can also use this tool to learn more about lessons that our students will be responsive to and if we can create similar lessons, we can help other teachers who have the same desire to guide their students through the learning experience. And this is just the first step.We have many resources, literally at our fingertips, which can reinvigorate a student's excitement for learning. And when all else fails you can always catch their attention by making them laugh...then start the lesson.
Dog Eats Popcorn, Baby Girl Laughs Uncontrollably
Thanks for reading my first entry : -)
