Today's class was an informative, and a careful reminder of how much we, the teachers have the opportunity to inspire students. We have them for an hour a day, which some people would say is not very much, but to me, it is quite a bit, and we owe it to them to change our practices to help them succeed. In particular, I think it is essential that teachers modify, experiment with, and review their classroom teaching styles, beliefs, and procedures and methods. Many times I have seen students perform in other classes but not in mine, and vice versa, student perform well in my class but not in others. The book mentioned the large amount of research that supports the notion that teaching style and methods heavily influence student performance, and anecdotally, I concur. It is our job to promote reading and writing activities that will inspire students read and write on their own.
"Without inspiration the best powers of the mind remain dormant, the mind is a fuel in us which needs to be ignited with spark"k
John Gottfried Von Herder
http://www.iwise.com/scTbZ
I chose this quote because I have been reminded recently of how we inspire our students, and rarely know it. I found out from a parent the other day that I inspired a high school student to become a Geography teacher instead of a Marine Biologist. The student observed me for forty minutes, but also observed several other teachers that day. I was flabbergasted and flattered that forty minutes could make such an impression. The key is, try always to be your best, because our students are watching all the time, and hopefully we will be igniting the best powers of our students' minds.
Image Citation:
http://www.visualparadox.com/images/no-linking-allowed-main/spark800.jpg
Great quote Erik!!...and all that time I thought you were eating cheetos!! I'm glad we have team MAGEC to inspire and motivate the dormant mind and spark the energy to fuel our student's mind! If I could just find my student already!! This was an elluminating session;)
ReplyDeleteIn everything we do we have the capacity to inspire others--whether it's through the good we do or the bad. Kudos, Erik, for being a GREAT example and inspiring your students and future teachers--and speaking for myself, current teachers!
ReplyDeleteHey Erik,
ReplyDeleteI knew you were worth a lot more than the bag of chips that you ate! Ha! Ha! Seriously, congratulations on that great comment about inspiring a student to become a Geography teacher. I've never observed you teaching in the classroom, but having been in two classes with you and through our conversations, I just know that you're one of those exceptional teachers...kudos!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteYou may have inspired one student today, but you will continue to inspire many others for as long as you teach. Great news to hear on the impact you have made on your student. It's a simple inspiration that makes us love being teachers.
ReplyDelete