What Makes Great Teaching?

There are many different things that make great teaching. I would say first off great teaching allows for the teacher to continue to learn even as a teacher. They are open to learning from their students and continue to find out more about the world around them. I would also say that great teaching is the ability to show understanding and compassion to your students. You cannot be a great teacher if you are not able to create relationships with your students. Children cannot learn from someone they do not feel comfortable with. Great teaching also allows students to discover their own passions and express their creativity. Rather than putting them in a box, great teaching allows for children to learn more about themselves. Great teaching provides students with many different assignments that allow them to express their creativity. My top five assignments that I chose that we have done in this class are: Blogging, One Pager, 3-2-1 Research Reports, 3 Minute Pause, and Black-Out. I feel as those these assignments will allow me to be a great teacher. First, I chose blogging because it allows students and teachers to express their creativity and share their ideas with others. I secondly chose the one pager assignment because it allows students to express their creativity through writing and pictures. They can depict what they learned like a summary but in a creative way. My third top assignment was the 3-2-1 Research Report. The reason why I love this assignment is because it allows us to make connections from what you learned to your prior knowledge and discuss what you think about this topic. For the fourth assignment I chose was the “3 Minute Pause” assignment because you can express what you learned and how you feel about it. Lastly the assignment I chose was the Black-Out poem, it allows people to find what they see meaningful in a text and create a poem out of it. When reading it allows, we will all find different words and phrases that are meaningful. This allows students to express their creativity. 

    

                                  

 

Top 5 List- Zehra Ali

                                       Top 5 List- Zehra Ali

1. Blogging with other educators:

To blog with other educators, we need to create a blog, and then be comfortable sharing our ideas and opinions as educators with others and be able to formulate them into a blog format. I was able to do this as I felt confident in what I was writing about to create a blog that other people could read and interact with.

2. One Pager:

To do the One Pager you need to look at the information presented to you and understand it so then through writing, drawing create a piece of paper that encompasses what you have learned. This worked for me as I understood what I learned in the module and then was able to portray that through writing, and sketches on a piece of paper. 

3. 3-2-1 Research Reports:

To do the 3-2-1 Research Reports you need to have the ability to look at the information you are reading as well as share what you have learned, your thoughts, and different ideas or connections you have made based on the reading. This worked for me as I was able to read 3-5 articles and analyze them finding the information that I thought was very valuable and how the information pertains to me.

4. 3 Minute Pause:

To do the 3 Minute Pause assignment you need to be able to look at the different sources, such as videos and articles presented to you and reflect on the information presented to. This worked for me as I was able to express my reaction to the information and how it affected me. 

5. Black-Out Poem:

To do the Black-Out-Poem you need to be able to read through the poem and identify what words or phrases you see as most valuable and that push your main point across. This worked for me as I was able to point out in the poem the words and phrases, I thought were most important to the course/module.

 

 

What does money really have to do with it?

As a future educator it is important that we ask ourselves. What does money really have to do with it? How does money effect the lives of our students. Does it have an affect on their schooling and how so? Does it have an impact on their ability to achieve. How does money pertaining to education and our students affect us as teachers? The first article I read pertaining to this topic was "The Secret to High achieving schools". I thought it was very valuable how the article stated that the main reason for high achieving classrooms is the teachers. “Unequal school funding in the United States” by Biddle and Berliner discusses how "Better-funded school districts can attract teachers with higher levels of education, more experience, and higher scores on competency tests..." (Biddle and Berliner).  This shows that schools districts with more money than others attract teachers that in a way would be more well equipped in ensuring their students success. Teachers at school districts who are better funded also have it easier as they are provided with better facilities, school supplies these are very important to creating a great school environment. Often people in society including educators believe in the myth of the culture poverty. The article "The Myth of the Culture of Poverty" by Paul Gorski discusses that teachers often fall victim to believing this myth. He explains that people of lower income collectively different than those of a higher income level. However like he explained that is not the case at the beliefs and ways of living are different amongst people of a lower income people. He also tackled the many stereotypes held against poor people. Some including that they do not work as hard, their parents do not value education, and they more so than then rich people abuse drugs and alcohol. However none of these assumptions or generalisations based on research are true. This shows that money does not have to do with teachers making assumptions about their lower income students. They should not expect less from them as low income does not mean inadequate. I think it is very important for teachers to remember this as they are taking part in the culture of classism. Money more so has to do with the funding the schools they attend get. This will greatly impact their education and the socioeconomic opportunity gap students of lower incomes face. As teachers and society as a whole we need to focus on this rather than viewing poor people as the issue in the inequities in their future. Money does not have to do with the behavior and beliefs of a group of people. Rather it affects their opportunities in school and their future. 

What lengths am I willing to go to in order to do right by every child?

 As a teacher it is very important we do everything we can to make right by every child. The question is how? It is important that we make every child in our classroom feel seen and heard. The way we respond to children and their needs is very important. It is how we can truly create a genuine relationship with our students. Like the module points out teachers need to humble themselves to truly do their students justice. As a future educator this is something I most definitely want to keep in mind. Christopher Emdin in his Ted Talk Reality Pedagogy explains that are view of what teaching is does not show the true picture of the complexity of our students or like he said "youth we are trying to save". This really changed my mindset of how we as teachers should view our students. It also made me realise that we as teachers need to be willing to truly understand our students so we can do right by them. This means deconstructing many of the ideas we already have about our students. He goes on to explain we are too busy often putting the guilt we feel on our students. It is important that we go the extra mile to make sure we do not do this. We instead should like Christopher said we understand our students. He explained to do right by every child we need to understand what equity is. He explains that equity is when we as teachers listen to our students and are able to gage an understanding of what they as an individual need. Rather than equity being teaching all student and giving them equal treatment. Doing right by every child goes beyond that. In the article "3 tips to make any lesson more culturally responsive" explains that we as teachers should be emulating students "cultural learning styles and tools". To do right by every child I will make sure to do this. It shows that you truly value accommodating your students and their cultural backgrounds. 

Do I Have the Full Picture?

 When I read the question, Do I Have the Full Picture? I can easily answer that question. I do not think there is anyone who truly has the full picture. However I do think some people try to see the whole picture. Where as other people do not strive to see it and learn more. For example, as future educators it is important that we take the time to understand who are students are. Specifically future teachers should take the time to understand the many faults in the school system. We need to take the time to understand how schools often let down students. Lastly we need to get to know our students as individuals. Without doing these things we will not even be close to having the full picture. Like Bettina Love said "teachers go into the field with limited understanding of children". As future teachers we of course will learn more about children when we are teachers. However, it is important we have prior knowledge when becoming a teacher about children and the school system itself. It is important that we share our perspective with others and learn about theirs. Wheatley explained that, "we share what we see, what we feel, and we listen to what others see and feel" when discussing what is important to us. When we hear other peoples perspectives while sharing ours we are able to see have the full picture in some capacity. Something that I think is too often overlooked when trying to see the full picture is language. Language holds great importance and can allow us to gain an understanding of others.

How do we talk about issues that matter?

 How do we talk about the issues that matter? I think if you asked a group of people this question they would answer it in many different ways. However all of their answers would align with the idea that we need to listen to others. It is primitive as a society that when we talk about issues that matter we listen to each other. Often people will have great passion behind their beliefs when discussing issues that matter. When people are discussing issues that matter perspectives can often be biased or one sided. When reading the article "a letter to the students of colour who were in my History classes" by Dylan Wray he discussed how his unconscious biases led conversations over issues that matter were one sided and often harmful. Dylan in this article said "And I am sorry that, as your reacher, when you needed a voice than your own, I didn't amplify yours" (Wray). I found it so valuable how Dylan pointed out that when discussing issues that matter often our role in conversation is to uplift voices that are often overlooked. I also think it is important when talking about issues that matter we actively acknowledge our own biases towards the matter. Dylan stated that "We all have these unconscious biases against others, and these biases impact the way we treat each other" (Wray).  I think it is important that when having conversations we work become aware of and actively try to get rid of the unconscious biases we may have towards the people we are having conversations with. When we engage in conversation we must talk to people without judgement. In the article "After Eric Garner: One School's Courageous Conversation" Dr. Steven Becton stated that he has "the responsibility to listen to others without judging" (Becton). I thought it was notable that Becton chose the word " responsibility" when explaining why listening to people without judging them is so important. When we choose to take part in conversations over issues that matter it is our duty to listen to people and show them compassion. While it is very important that we listen to others I liked how in the article "Foster Civil Discourse" they pointed out that people should not be "...prioritizing politeness or comfort over getting to the heart of the matter". I think this important because when speaking about issues that matter we should not dance around the issue however really diving in to the matter. When listening to others in conversations and not judging them that does not mean we should avoid voicing our opinions. When talking about issues that matter we should strive to have welcoming and productive conversations. This is very important because a teachers we will have many conversations in our classes. We will also have a great effect on how our students learn to communicate. 

                                      

Why Teach?

I have wanted to be a teacher ever since I can remember. My parents have owned a child care center most of my life. Most of my childhood I spent there after school spending time with the other children. From a young age I enjoyed helping my mother whether it be reading books to the younger children or helping the older students with their homework. As I got older I went there to volunteer and after I graduated from high-school I began to work there. This experience is what truly made me realize that I wanted to work with kids and be a teacher one day. Being able to observe my mother as well as the other teachers work with the children inspired me. Watching the positive impact my mom and the people that worked with her had on the children that went to the daycare made me want to do the same as profession. Seeing my mom choose patience when speaking to the children rather than anger showed me how important educators are in children's lives. The child care center my mom owns and operates is located in a low income area with a very diverse population. She has joined several programs such as Texas School Ready and Texas Rising Star as she believes in the importance of early childhood education for all students not matter their identity. This has inspired me to be a teacher ensuring that I am understanding to all of the students different needs in my classroom try my best to give them all the education they deserve. I feel as though good teachers can truly change the course of their students lives. Whether that be providing emotional support to them or giving them tools they need to succeed in a certain subject that they may struggle with.

I would love to teach either first or second grade. However, I would be happy to teach any elementary grades. I feel as though students in first and second grade specfically need teachers that can help mold their students love for learning and I would like the opportunity to do that. I am specifically looking forward to helping my students with language arts because that was one of my favourite subjects in school as a kid. As a teacher I will strive to give students many learning opportunities where they are able to express their creativity while learning. My second grade teacher always allowed us to express our creativity in many different ways and I hope to do the same. I will also work to create a classroom environment where students have the opportunity to discuss their identity. I am very passionate about creating a classroom environment where all students feel welcomed and valued as an individual. In school I did not always feel as though my culture was valued. It was almost as if some of my teachers taught us to not see each others differences. I as an educator want to teach my students to acknowledge that they may be different from their classmates however these difference are valuable. I am looking forward to teaching my future students but even more than that I am looking forward to all that they will teach me in the process. I am also so excited to decorate my classroom!