I've posted many actions of an effective teacher on the side of the blog. Take a look at this list that we collected and think about the value of each characteristic. After you've reviewed the list carefully, please post your response to the following question...
Congratulations! You've just landed the teaching position of your dreams. You begin packing your things to fly to the new school district and realize, due to the increased costs of gasoline, you can bring with you only three suitcases. Each suitcase can hold only ONE action of an effective teacher...which three would you take with you and why? Please feel free to choose another action if you do not see the one you want on the list.
Don't forget to also post a response to at least one of your peers. Happy Writing!
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i think having patience, makeing the lesson interesting, and being prepared are the most importance qualities of being an effective teacher. having patience with your students will definately help you to understand where they are coming from and will help you find a way to help them academically or with any other aspect. making the lesson interesting is also important because if you do not, the students will have a hard time paying attention to the lesson and it will be more stressful on the teacher. and lastly being prepared is also very important because it will help you deliver the lesson effectively. also this is something the students will pick up from you and apply to their lives.
ReplyDeleteI think that being challenging, motivating and having the ability to balance strictness and fun in the class room are the three most important qualities to me. I do not think a teacher is "teaching" unless they challenge their students. Students learn by working through challenging assignments and learning from their mistakes. If every assignment is a piece of cake, how will they learn? Secondly, all of my favorite teachers that I can think of posessed the same quality- they motivated me. They motivated the students by instilling trust and a "you can do it" attitude in their students. I worked so hard in those classes, because not only did I not want to let them down, but I began to posess the same "you can do it" piece of mind, and did not want to let myself down. Lastly, a teacher that can have classroom control and rules, but also have fun with the students is an awesome teacher. This quality shows they can keep control and the students respect them, but they are not rigid, scary teachers. Teachers are human and it is necessary to have a little fun learning!
ReplyDeleteChris, I think that making the lesson interesting is also extremely important, and it plays into my idea of having a little fun as well as having rules. Kids, especially younger children, need involvement and activities applied to their lessons, because it keeps them busy, and it helps them learn by applying activities, games, songs, etc. to concepts.
ReplyDeleteTo me the three most important things are that they really want to be there,are able to think outside of the box, and patience. Students can often tell when a teacher doesn't really want to be there. If the teacher doesn't like school then chances are the students will begin to think that school isn't fun. You must be able to think outside the box to create different ways to teach.Not all the students will think the same way so it is important to be creative enough to overcome this. Patience is important because students learn at different rates. You have be okay with some students learning slower and not get frustrated with this.
ReplyDeleteJulia, I agree with you that you aren't really teaching unless you are challenging the students. I have had some teachers who give work that is completed easily. I think that the challenging and motivating go closely together. It is hard to stay motivated when the work is too easy.
ReplyDeleteThe three things I would bring would be: they really want to be there, classroom control, and makes the lesson interesting. Having teachers who really want to be with their students and really want to inspire them is so very important and I want my students to know how much I care about them and their learning. At the same time having classroom control is key in getting things done and using the time you have to its fullest, especially teaching elementary school students. Finally I would want to make the lessons interesting so my students would enjoy comming to school knowing they will have fun while learning.
ReplyDeleteStacy I agree that it is so important for teachers to want to be there because I've had some teachers who you could tell wanted to be anywhere else. Thinking outside of the box can be hard to do but it is so important to keep your students engaged in learning.
ReplyDeletejaclyn I also agree with having classroom control. i've been in many classes where the teacher had very little control of the class and that lead to disaster for the rest of the semester. it is key to be able to understand your kids and control them so they teacher can be effective
ReplyDeleteBeing in class today really made me want to be a teacher as soon as possible. I learned a lot from other students and their stories. I think it is really important to challenge your students so they can get a full understanding of the concept you are teaching. Most teachers I have had in the past have had high energy to be in the class room and motivate students. Having high energy is very important because students are not going to like you and you may bore them. No matter how you day or past night was, you should want to be there. I think another big responsibility of being a teacher is being available to help children with there homework or a concept they are struggling with. If you don't help, you are not being an effective teacher.
ReplyDeleteStacy,
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is very important to have teachers who want to be there in order for students to want to go to school, and even maybe be a role model for them to be a teacher in their future. Patience is also very important for a teacher. As you said, having children learn at different rates can be difficult. I know I was one of those students in the early grades who had problems understanding concepts and had to go to a resource room for mainly reading. My teachers never got frustrated with me but got me the help I needed and now I am thankful for that because by the time fifth grade came around, I was caught up with everyone else in the class.
I would pack my suitcases with; challenges, patience and motivation. I believe that these three things are essential to teaching. The student should be challenged by the teacher, this will only help the child. All teachers should be patient. Each student adapts and learns at their own pace. Last, a great teacher should be motivating. If the teacher is motivated to come to work and teach, this will motivate the studnet to want to come to school to learn.
ReplyDeleteStacy, I agree, being creative helps a wide range of students in the classroom. Great job, I didn't think about that one.
ReplyDeleteI would bring with me the suitcases holding the qualities of patience, passionate and available. Patience because I think it is the number 1 quality required to be around kids. Kids need time to concentrate and understand to after been able to give the best of themselves. Passionate, because if you love your job, you will have energy and motivation to share your knowings with the kids and make them love what they are learning. Available, because we are all humans and we need to be helpfull and caring for each others.
ReplyDeleteHi Julia, I must say I agree with you saying that effective teacher must control their classroom when it's time to do so, but that they should also know that school can be fun and that they can have a great time doing fun stuff with their students, and maybe get to know them better at the same time.
ReplyDeleteI would pack patience, motivation, and caring in my suitcases. Patience is required when working with children. I never want a child to feel like I am frustrated with them because it may discourage them or make them feel like they can't keep up with the rest of the class. I would pack motivation because I think that if you motivate your students and make them excited about what you are learning, they will stay interested and learn more. I would pack caring, because I think a caring teacher can go a long way. The best teachers I have had were not only concerned about my performance in class, but also cared about my well being outside of class. As a very shy child, these were the teachers I felt comfortable to approach when I had a problem, no matter what it pertained to.
ReplyDeleteHi Elise,
ReplyDeleteI agree with patience being the number 1 requirement when it comes to working with children, you never want a child to feel like you are frustrated with them. Taking passion with you is also a good choice, if you are passionate about teaching then you will find a way to be a good effective teacher in any situation.
I would have to say that the three things that I find most important are being challenging, being flexible, and being patient. I think being challenging is good because class gets boring if there's nothing to worry about. Also, if a teacher isn't flexible and patient, students can loose hope or give up on what a teacher is presenting. A teacher has to be the one person that a student can count on for help.
ReplyDeleteCourtney,I agree about the challenging factor. I think that when teachers challenge students, students benefit so much more. Also, being patient is great because no student should be given up on.
ReplyDeleteI believe that being able to think outside of the box, being prepared for class, and being patient with the students are all important actions an effective teacher needs to have. A teacher needs to be able to think outside the box. Students do not like doing the same thing over and over again, so its a good idea to make the lessons interesting and bring new things to each lesson. As a teacher, you wont always be able to choose what you teach, but you do have the power to make what you teach interesting to the students by bringing a creative touch to it. Teachers also need to be prepared when coming into the classroom. You never know what is going to happen in the classroom, co teachers should always be prepared for whatever coiuld happen. Effective teachers also need to be patient with the students. The students are usuallly just learning the things we are teaching them, so the teachers have to be patient with them. The teacher should be patient and want to help the student with anything the student is having problems with.
ReplyDeleteStacy, I agree with you and teachers should really want to be there. I have had teachers who did not want to be there and because of that I did not want to be there. It felt like the teachers thought they were wasting their time being there and the students also felt the same. So it is very important for teachers to want to be there.
ReplyDeletePatience, Motivating, and teach the students not at them. I would take patience because students will do everything possible to make their teachers just snap, and to test the waters to see how far they can go without getting in trouble. I want to be a motivating teacher because not all students get incouragement to succeed in school from their family or they at least don't have the correct motivation to see what they can really do in this world. As a teacher we should teach the students and not teach at them. Students should take something from class and learn, life lessons along with the class material, not just have a nap time in their day.By actually teaching the students we can get them involved, while teaching at the students is when they usually just sleep or ignore everything in class.
ReplyDeleteDanielle,
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with you on thinking outside the box, being creative. Effective teachers know that being creative is one of the best ways to get students to learn and remember what was done in class. Patience is one thing any person who works with people should have, if it's children, teens, or adults. Being prepared for class is always a good thing, we all want to be able to answer any questions that students may have.
Organization is a big key for me. When the teacher is organized the class will be more fluid and when the class is fluid and time is managed correctly then the class will get more done and stay on track. One of the best teachers I got to be a student under was very organized. I think that passion for teaching is most important and the more passionate a teacher is about their own work will more than likely lead to more success for their students. Last but not least I want my teachers to establish goals and expectations for the class.
ReplyDeleteHey Chris,
ReplyDeleteI think your point about being prepared for class is an excellent one. When the teacher isn't prepared the students class time is being wasted and not enough will get done.
classroom control is a very big one i would have to make sure to take because i am going into aquatics teaching and if there is no control kids can get hurt. motivating is another one because i believe that motivation plays a big role in a young persons life. the last is patience, every teacher needs patience because every child needs something different from the teacher.
ReplyDeletehey andrea,
ReplyDeletei agree with you about kids doing whatever they can to make a teacher snap, they have to see there boundarie jusst like kids with their parents.
Three actions I would take would be patience, motivating, and flexible. I chose patience because I remember when I was in high school and I would ask the teacher for help and they would get frusterated with me because I didn't understand. That doesn't boost a student's confidence. I would make sure I took time for a student who needed help and wouldn't get frusterated with them. I'm there to help them not hinder them. I chose motivating because if you didn't motivate you would just be dry and boring. I want to make the learning interesting and fun for the students and get them excited about coming to school. Lastly I chose flexible because I feel that a teacher is there for the student. If a student needs me to come early or stay late after school I am willing to do that to help the student. I could also set up a email account where the student can email me their questions incase they can't come before or after school.
ReplyDeleteEric,
ReplyDeleteClassroom control is important because you don't want to dread going to school everyday because the kids do whatever they want. I also chose motivating because you want to make things exciting and have the students wanting to learn. And I also chose patience because a teacher needs to understand all of their students and how they learn. You made some good points!
The three actions I would choose would have to be patience, flexibility, and passion for the subject. Patience is important because when a student sees that you truly want them to succeed and will take the time to help them without getting frustrated, then they won't be afraid to ask for help when they need it. Flexibility is important to me because things are always changing. A teacher needs to be able to adjust to whatever might happen that day without losing sight of what the lesson was supposed to be. I would definitely bring passion for subject because a teacher who is passionate can get the students interested just because the teacher is so enthusiastic about it. Students love teachers who truly love what they do!
ReplyDeleteHey Rebecca,
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you on patience and flexibility! Those are two traits that all teachers need to possess. Motivation is a good choice as well! A teacher has to motivate their class, or else how will they ever get the students to learn! Good choices!
If I could only choose 3 of these characteristics, I would choose patience, challenge, and motivation. I think it is important to have patience because people learn at different speeds and some kids need more time than others. I would also challenge my students because I believe this is a very effective way of teaching and it helps kids stretch their thinking abilities. The last thing I would bring to my classroom is motivation because some kids need to be encouraged to learn and if they are actually interested in improving their knowledge, then they will.
ReplyDeleteHey Ashley. I completely agree with your choices and reasons for them. I think that a great teacher needs to have be patient, flexible, and passionate because these skills will encourage the students to learn and achieve their goals.
ReplyDeleteOne of my suitcases would carry patience because working with children these days in the classroom you must have patience, because your days varies with children everyday there is no telling how a child morning was it could effect there whole day. Another suitcase would contain creativity. You must be creative being boring you will not hold the kids attention and it is easier to learn when you can enjoy the lesson. The last suitcase holds availiabity. Being there for your kids let them know that you care and they can come to you anyime. It makesa better relationship between you and your students and I think they will do better in your class.
ReplyDeleteI honestly agree with everyone because being effective is different for everyone.A teaher being motivating can help one student but if the teacher has high energy that may help someone else. May sound a little crazy but it may be necessary to have a little of all qualities depending on who you are teaching. Once you learn your student you may have to change your ways a little from class to class or from year to year depending on your students what helps them learn the best.
ReplyDeleteThe three things I would take with me in my suitcases are being Passionate, Patiences, and Teaching to the children, not at them. Being passionate about teaching is something all teachers should be. If your not passionate about what your doing then, why do it. Patiences is something I think you will need to have to become a great teacher. If you don't have patiences then you lose control, and your not going to be able to help your students. Teaching to the children and not at them is teaching to each childs needs. If you teach to each child needs they will do great in your class. If you teach at the children and you don't work with their needs they will not do good in your class.
ReplyDeleteHey Ashley! I had a toss up between flexibility and Teaching to the children, not at them. I like what you said about have flexibility in the classroom and not lossing sight of the lesson plan.
ReplyDeleteThe three things I would take with me would be balance of strictness and fun, being prepared, and engaging the students. It is important to have a certain flow and have fun in your class but you also need to be strict when it is necessary. Being prepared is a very good thing because it makes your class and yourself feel more professional. And finally, engaging students is a HUGE part of being a great teacher. When you get the kids involved they are more likely to want to learn and remember.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with everyone. All of these things are important in order to be an effective teacher! It was very hard to barrow it down to three because I am striving to be all of these things in the future.
ReplyDeleteThe three action words that I would bring with me are flexibility, high energy, and being passionate about the subject. Being flexible is crucial in high school because students go on academic or athletic trips, and many students are in other organizations that are required to miss a few class periods. Having high energy is important because students are not going to listen to you if your are tired and boring. They think that if your bored, then the subject is pointless to learn. The last thing that I would bring, but it's the most important suitcase is being passionate about the subject that you are teaching. If you do not know what you are talking about, and students recognize that you do not care, then they will not respect you or take you seriously.
ReplyDeletei would have to say i would chose passionate about the subject because if you are not pasionate then the kidss sense it and they will not be. Also being consistant yet fair is extremely important because you have to keep in mind that some kids are not a developed in some apects as others so they might not be able to do as well or as much as others. Lastly i would really want to be there, it goes back to the first one, if you do not want to be there then the kids will sense it and will lose interest.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Ashley Orlando. Having patience is extremely important, if you want to become an effective teacher. Also talking to your students and not at them is major. The biggest reason is because students hate to feel like they are not intelligent, and definitely do not like getting talk down to.
ReplyDeleteEric,
ReplyDeletei agree with the way you think. classsroom control is very inportant as well a patience, you make a good point with motivating the students.
The first thing i would pack is preparedness. If I am not prepared as a teacher, I will not be able to do anything else effectively. Being prepared can encompass several other qualities such as knowledgeable about the subject, creativity, classroom control, etc.
ReplyDeleteI would also arm myself with high-energy, which is easily paired with motivational!
My third tool would definitely be my consistency with the students. Showing that i can be fair, that I am willing to work with them individually, that I they are not there for my enjoyment but that I am there to lift them up, encourage them, teach them and help them grow.
The first thing I would take with me would be Patience. I believe that in order to be a first grade teacher or second grade, patience is very important.
ReplyDeleteThe second thing I would take with me would be high energy. These kids need to be taught by someone who will encourage them to do better, not the other way around.
The third thing I would take would be flexibility. All children are different and have different needs. I need to be flexible with every students need.
Hey Julia, i completely agree with you. Those are all very important qualities for an effective teacher. Im sure that you will become an amazing teacher, its just a matter of having what you wrote in mind everyday.
ReplyDelete