Week Five: Chapter 3

I really enjoyed the reading. The reading talks about a Principal named Deborah Meier. She has a faculty that is really superb. When she was asked what make them so great she said, "They are remarkable, because they live what they believe." This really struck me. Going through the program there is so much good information. But there are also a ton of opinions. Theses opinions come from professors, classmates, and field teachers. It can be overwhelming at times, when opinions contradict each other. This is where I need to form my own opinion on what I believe. Once I know for sure what I believe I want my classroom to feel, look, and act like, then I will be able to live it. The book talked about five things,

• affirmation
• contribution
• power
• purpose
• challenge

Every student should get these five things. I would like to talk about affirmation. With affirmation, the teacher needs to  respect the student, want to get to know the student believe in them, have time, and make sure the student knows there are needed in the classroom. The main point is, the teachers need to be invested. This is what is going to make you become a great teacher. If you stay invested in the interests of the students lives. We need to establish ties with students in order to differentiate. We just need to transfer the abstract ideas into actual application. 

Another thing that hit me during the reading was, the teacher will learn more than they teach. I think this is very true. I have experienced this in my field work.