I have entered into the field of education with full knowledge that it can be very challenging but it is my venture to make it gratifying for both my students and myself. A crucial point of “The Woodcarver” is the ability to focus. Once the woodcarver was finished with his work, all credits were taken from him and given to higher powers. Similarly, once I am able to bring the task at hand to the central point of my concentration, then I am bond to astonish many, including myself. I particularly gain wisdom from the fact that “The woodcarver” guarded his spirit and did not expend it on trifles that were not to the point. Burning up energy on issues that have nothing to do with the mission at hand is detrimental to success. Like “The Woodcarver he did not expend it on trifles but prepared himself to accomplish his goal. He purged himself of everything internal as well as external with the exception of the knowledge of why he was cleansing him.
As an Assistant Teacher in a public school, I was assigned to a fifth grade student who was having problems with reading and writing. John came to me late in the school year and his reading abilities were that of a first grader. I became disheartened because I thought it was unfair to me given his situation and the time factor. Instead of immediately think of ways to move him forward, self got in the way and I became overly concerned about what my peers would say about my abilities if John did not advanced. Because I was seeking self praise, I lost sight of the main objective and as a result the child suffered. I was backed into a corner and had no answers or solutions to the problem. It was not until late March, two months later, that I realized that I needed to shift gears. I...
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...carving right away. He prepared himself. He was able to go within and freed himself of all external pressure. This was the woodcarver’s secret. Educators should not look to take the secret of another teacher and get discourage if it does not work for them because what works for one man not necessary work for the other.
Even though the master carver created a masterpiece he too felt the pressure of work. He had to do something to get him to that place where he could prove his worthiness. There is no telling what the prince would have done to him if he did not produce a grand bell stand. Teachers too are faced with the pressure of failing students, poor state tests result or that dread unsatisfactory of the end of the school year. We are crippled with fear while we try to please those we work for and those who turn of stunning work year after year.
In the poem “Woodchucks” by Maxine Kumin, the speaker is in her garden and is annoyed with some woodchucks that are eating and destroying the produce in the garden. The speaker in turn tries to remove the woodchucks by using humane gas to kill them and when that is unsuccessful, she resorts to more violent means. This poem uses the annoying woodchucks to signify the Jewish people during the Holocaust by the Nazi Party.
Palmer’s theory requires minimal investment of money, but requires time and effort. Palmer’s theory intuitively resonates with teachers whose actions have far reaching effects. Parker (2015c) wrote his words are not his legacy, as they are inert and a legacy is a living thing. He described his legacy as a shared legacy. Ever the teacher, he sees his role as offering ides for others develop visions and make the world a better place. He values the way people have put his words into action in communities, institutions and the larger
When I walked into the school, I was greeted by the receptionist who kindly showed me where to sign in and then directed me to the teacher I would be observing for the day. The staff was dressed very appropriate for the day and on Friday they were able to wear pink because it was October. Although I did not see much interaction with factuality with each other, I was able to witness when the teachers of a certain grade would come to pick up their students. I saw how the teachers interacted with Mrs. Lee and they were very respectful. The student’s behavior varied from class to class. Most of the classes were well behaved with only a few students causing disruption. Mrs. Lee had warned me that the kindergarten class is normally noisier than other classes, but to her surprise the students were very quiet and did their work independently with no interruptions. Mrs. Lee did a wonderful job at keeping the students disciplined within the classroom. She would give positive re-enforcement and correct students when they would do something incorrectly. She worked really well with the students and they students responded in a respectful manner to Mrs.
Disabilities in the classroom are a very important issue for teachers to be familiar with. In the article by Michael Graziano, An Inconvenient Child, Graziano’s son suffers from Apraxia but gets inaccurately diagnosed by his son’s teacher. This creates issues of trust for his son and worsens the learning disability problem. He includes important information all parents should hear in the article. Graziano looks at his son’s disability in the classroom, which directly relates to teachers catching signs of mental illness in the classrooms, how teachers diagnose a behavioral troubled child, and training school counselors on the Section 504 policy. The conversation between Graziano’s concerns and these other current articles establish kairos for the article.
“A teacher who establishes rapport with the taught, becomes one with them, learns more from them than he teaches them. He who learns nothing from his disciples is, in my opinion, worthless. Whenever I talk with someone I learn from him. I take from him more than I give him. In this way, a true teacher regards himself as a student of his students. If you will teach your pupils with this attitude, you will benefit much from them.” - Mahatma Gandhi
As I set such a scenario for you, two problems are clearly recognizable. The first lies in the lack of effort I put forth in my early schooling, and the second is that I recognized very early what my parents expectations of me were, though I failed to explore my own subdued expectations. They were bubbling just beneath the surface of my false façade of a student. It was not until my years in college, and my subsequent experience, although it is still in its infant stages, of teaching High School English that I began to appreciate writing and reading as a useful tool rather than a mechanism for keeping a smile on my parents’ faces. When this released enthusiasm became part of my life, the latter of the scenario’s problems quickly solved the former.
Correcting this issue will be difficult, but possible. Throughout high school I did not have the best values that I have today. I did what other kids thought was cool like any other high school student trying to fit into a new place. In the future, I plan on pursuing a career in education. I plan on demonstrating the values of equality very thoroughly. Making a safe and pleasant environment is what I am hoping to accomplish. A teacher can impact a student’s life heavily. For example, my sophomore year theology teacher Mr. Finnochio, was a man of integrity. I never met a nicer, more thoughtful person in my life. The way he spoke to the class and respected everyone else’s opinion was extraordinary. He never judged or excluded anyone from anything and he impacted my life greatly. Mr. Finnochio is the reason why I would like to fulfill a career in education. I have experienced it and I know teachers can make a difference in this
Great teaching requires sacrifice and consistently puts the development of the child first Esquith, after teaching for over 30 years and writing several award winning books, exemplifies this child centered philosophy of teaching. His purpose is to share his dedicated and selfless approach to teaching with teachers, in the hope that they too, will be inspired ‘to teach like their hair is on fire.’ He believes that commitment to each individual student is essential. As a role model, he stresses the importance of being dependable and providing an atmosphere that is safe and that promotes the love of learning. He focusses on values and teaching his students to respect themselves and others, to be kind and to always work hard (Esquith, 2007). With Esquith’s simple motto of, “be nice, work hard and there are no shortcuts, in the classroom” (Esquith,2007), it is easy to see why his students are so happy and successful.
Growing up, I was always insecure about my academic performances because I was about a year younger than most of my classmates. My reading was underdeveloped, and my teachers were concerned about my ability to read more mature literature. To aid my reading disabilities I was placed in an intermediate class. However, the class did not push me into the level I was expected to be. In other words, they "babied" me and have me read at the "level" I was capable of. So like any other American school, they just push you along to the next grade. It wasn't until I started the fourth grade, and I was shown the power of reading independently. I used my struggles to read, as my motivation to excel in reading.
When I was a child, I neglected to put any effort towards my grades, as I didn’t think much of my education. I would come to class, and goof around with my peers, occasionally I would pay attention when the teacher called my name, but me being the disrespectful, ignorant, brat that I was, I would shrug my shoulders and neglect to respond. My education was so bad that I stayed after for special needs English language Arts tutoring, but I didn’t mind as I saw it as more time to make acquaintances.
Woodworking, a form of carpentry, has been around for centuries and overtime developed into a more modern art. Today people will mostly see woodwork in homes in the form of furniture and decorations, or even smaller things such as family heirlooms passed down by generations and simple crafts made by younger generations. The skill of woodworking, however, is not inherited but takes practice and years of experience to fully master. Even experienced woodworkers run into challenges sometimes. The key is to overcome that obstacle and find different ways to create something new from a piece of wood. It is interesting to see and go through the process in which a woodworker goes through
As I ponder over my personal professional development experiences as an educator the realization of how one has developed over time is personally satisfying. Educating children especially children with special needs is a challenge within its self. As a teacher it is important that this writer makes a positive influence with students. There are going to be certain ideas that one tries to uphold and other discriminations that one will not allow. Everyone has their own beliefs teachers should do what is necessary not to infringe on others, but show children different way to think so that they have all the information needed to make educated choices. Children are open-minded they have not yet had to deal with or understand the injustices that they will encounter. If children are taught from an early age they will have the ability to succeed especially children with special needs as an educator my main goal is teaching the purpose of public schools, and education reform. It is my purpose to influence children and be positive influence.
“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” ― William Arthur Ward
My experience with school was very challenging and overcoming my personal struggles was not an easy feat. I started Kindergarten with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) and I’m thankful that my preschool teacher recognized my learning challenges and encouraged my parents to have me evaluated. We found out that I had ADHD and learning disabilities that would make academic achievement a challenge for me. More specifically, I had difficulty decoding words and pronouncing some letter sounds such as “R’s” and “W’s”. As a result, excelling in school was a challenge due to my disability and the reaction of other students to my disability only made it more difficult.
Having the ability to shape a student’s life is truly a gift; so many of my art teachers inspired me to follow my dreams. After hearing Taylor Mali’s poem, What Teachers Make, I knew that I wanted to be a teacher: I want to make a difference. Mali spoke with so much passion as he answered the age old question ‘what do teachers make.’ “I make parents see their children for who they are and who they can be,” this quote really moved me because I think in a lot of situations students’ talents are overlooked by their parents (Mali.) My art teachers always had their hand in the community creating sculptures for the local fire department or crocheting hats and baby booties. I feel good teaching shows students how to apply the knowledge they learned. I want to model what they learned so they can apply it to their everyday life. I attend to teach my students to be active members of society and be aware and respectful of others’ culture, and teach them how to apply the skills they learn in art in their everyday life.