Ch. 3 Discussion

Today, our group had a very good discussion on Ch. 3. It was very thought provoking and we touched on a lot of important issues. One main theme we focused on seemed to be the extra work you need to put in as a teacher. Teaching isn't only the science of providing kids a learning environment with the proper information for them to take in, there are many things we do in addition to that. One of those side things we must do in zoom in on each student and investigate the things that make them "tick". As a teacher, I feel that it should be expected that you know quite a bit of background information about your students. There is a science to a child's behavior, and if things aren't going quite well, it may be quite apparent it is due to something happening outside of school. We talked a lot about reading into the behaviors of a child and using that to identify what could be the underlying reason for that. For example, a bully at school may not be receiving any attention at home, or perhaps is being abused. If you better understand the ins and outs of your students at school, it may help you gear certain activities to better suit their needs. This doesn't just have to be with behaviors, but also maybe some kids perform better at math then reading, and you need to have a variety of things to let every student shine. At such a young age, it is most important for kids to build up their positive self-esteem and to prevent them from feeling in superior. Of course, it's impossible to let this never happen, but the best you can build them up, gears them for a brighter future of possibilities in their lives. We discussed in our group how teaching really doesn't have a defined job description, it always requires you to be on your feet, ready to dive in and try something new. And as future teachers, I feel this is something we should all be ready to take on!