What do I believe in?
I am a firm believer in the “See it, do it, teach it” philosophy
of learning. With all due respect to Aristotelian questioning, I have seen how
meaningful learning can be when we are able to transfer that knowledge to
another individual.
I am fortunate enough to teach the same students two years in a row through the “looping” model at North Saanich and I have seen how empowered my grade 7 students seem to feel when they pass on what they have learned to the younger students. While I won’t bore you by naming names, it is something that always fills me with joy when I can watch a student teaching others what I have taught them. That’s when I know they have really “got it”.
I am fortunate enough to teach the same students two years in a row through the “looping” model at North Saanich and I have seen how empowered my grade 7 students seem to feel when they pass on what they have learned to the younger students. While I won’t bore you by naming names, it is something that always fills me with joy when I can watch a student teaching others what I have taught them. That’s when I know they have really “got it”.
Who am I in my work?
In the article, Megan Laverty suggests, “that we think of
teaching in the same way as life: namely as something that can be practiced and
spoken about either authentically or in-authentically”. I don’t believe that it
has to be such a dichotomy. I can’t imagine speaking to my wife in the way that
I speak to the students in my class; and, in fact, she has told me on a few occasions
not to use my “teacher voice”. However, I love my job, I work Hard, and I try
my best with whatever it is that I am doing. I think, while that doesn’t make
me unique in the teaching profession, the students see that, and respect it.
What inspires me?
As I mentioned above, I am not unique in my passion for my
chosen vocation. I see my fellow educators’ passion for their jobs every day,
whether it’s an outrageous Halloween costume, a killer lesson, or simply having
time at lunch to talk to their students; it is inspiring to watch.
By logical extension, I am also humbled on a daily basis by the passions of my students. I have learned a new way to multiply, bought a paper dragon that contained three hundred pieces of paper, become a better basketball player, all because of the passions of my students.
By logical extension, I am also humbled on a daily basis by the passions of my students. I have learned a new way to multiply, bought a paper dragon that contained three hundred pieces of paper, become a better basketball player, all because of the passions of my students.
No comments:
Post a Comment