The Teachers Response

Hey Fancy Bloggers!

So, have you ever thought about how to respond to students needs effectively? Well I know I have. Being a "almost new" teacher I think about it all the time. I want my students in my class to feel like I am responding to all their needs. A few ways that I have found from researching and reading are the following..
Invitation:When you are invited to do something you are more inclined to want to participate in it. This is the same for children. As a teacher it is very important to invite each child to learn and grow through out the school year. This invitation needs to happen when the students first enter the learning environment. You want your students to feel like you have time for them and that you believe in them wholeheartedly.
Opportunity: Think back to when you were in elementary school. Was there a time when your teacher wasn't giving you all the opportunities possible to develop your skills? I know I had a few that gave me all the opportunities possible. One that comes to mind is my 4th grade teacher. She was a wonderful example of opportunity. She not only provided all of us with individual tasks based on our levels but she also provided each of us with the opportunity to serve the community, be apart of something great and gave us the opportunity to make new friends by building a classroom environment where we felt safe. She also challenged us so that we would push ourselves to become better. One attitude to remember when thinking about how to provide opportunity to your students is by saying to them that you have important things for them to do today and that the things that I ask you to do will open up possibilities for your future.
Investment:Being a teacher is a huge time commitment. You want all your students to know that you work hard to make all this work and that you love to find new pathways to success for each individual student. Being invested means that you will immerse yourself into the classroom in every way that you can. Invested teachers are often the ones that share their thoughts about the classroom with the students and also whose classroom has students in it before school, during lunch, and after school just because they LOVE to be there. Be invested!
Persistence: When I think of a teacher, the first adjective that pops into my head is hard working. Classrooms can get messy, busy, and imperfect. There are procedures that are set in place to help everything work smoothly but sometimes it just doesn't work out the way you want it too. This is when you just have to pull your boot straps up and move on to bigger and better things. Being persistent means that when one route doesn't work, there are others that you can find. Also that there is no finish line in learning! Show your students that you genuinely believe in the possibilities that are there for each of them and you will not give up or be discouraged. You want them all to succeed no matter what it takes!
Reflection: This could easily be the most important part of being a teacher. I have heard from numerous professors at UVU that this is crucial to being a great teacher. The reflective teacher not only questions daily practices but reflects on things like: "To what degree am I being an example of the kind of learner and person I ask my students to be?" or "Am I aiming for the norm for my students or for the best each child has to offer?" By asking yourself these questions it will reflect to your students that you try to see things through their eyes and that you watch and listen very carefully and systematically. One easy way to reflect is to ask yourself "How can I do this better?"

By combining all of these different responses, I really do feel that you can become a great teacher. All of these things show your students that you really do care about them and that you know that they can succeed if you and them put the best foot forward and strive to achieve the highest potential. In my classroom, I am going to focus on all of these elements in order to become a responsive teacher to all my students individual and different needs that they may have!

                                     

Well, till next time!