Study Question: What aspects of your as an educator go beyond simply serving as a “teacher” for your students? How is it important for you?
While at Head Start, I realized that my role went far beyond simply being a “teacher.” Unfortunately, for some of my students, I was the only stable and supportive adult in their lives. Many of these 3-5 year old students were facing challenges that no child should have to experience. It was the most emotionally draining and satisfying experience of my life. I was exhausted with how emotionally involved I became with my students and their families. I had difficulty leaving my job at work and pursuing my own life at home. However, some of my biggest accomplishments occurred at Head Start. I helped a family find a home after they became homeless. I helped a foster child with social anxiety feel safe and loved. I helped create a community of learners who supported one another and flourished. It was these experiences that opened the door to pursuing a career in education. I believe the fundamental role of an educator is to nurture the wellbeing of students and support their growth academically, mentally, emotionally, and physically. I think Maslow’s hierarchy of needs truly demonstrates the stance education needs to take. Without supporting the students’ physiological needs, security, belonging, and esteem needs, self-actualization and learning cannot take place. My most important role as an educator is to meet my students where they are and work alongside of them to foster a love for themselves, others, and an eagerness to learn.
What kinds of defense mechanisms have you seen among your students? How did you approach each case? How would you have approached it differently? Why? Through my experiences in the classroom I have seen everyone of these defense mechanisms used at one point or another. One specific student came to mind when reading about repression. This student was being bullied out on the playground, and excluded from his classmates. When it would come time to do peer work in class he constantly had a difficult time working with his peers. At the time we did not know that he was being bullied but on several occasions during group work he would get into altercations with others and start crying. I pulled the student aside and asked him what was happening, and he said nothing I just don’t like working with them. It continued to happen so again I tried to talk to him and he opened up about what was happening. I then decided to do a community circle on bullying where students shared a time that they felt embarrassed, pick on, or excluded by their peers and how that made them feel. The student opened up and the class was listening to him, he started crying and many of the peers in the class did too. I believe that this community circle helped the class develop a sense of empathy and put themselves in the student’s shoes. I think that this honestly was a good way to go about the situation because it did not single him out since all students were sharing and being vulnerable in a safe environment. He did not mention names of his classmates but they were able to better understand how their actions were making him feel and he was able to vocalize his feelings and put them back into his conscious mind instead of continuing to repress them. After this I saw a huge change in the classroom while working with peers, so I believe this was an effective way to handle this particular situation.
Study Question: What aspects of you as an educator go beyond simply serving as a “teacher” for your students? How is it important for you?
I think the most significant role i took on for many of my students this semester was that of a friend. I approached this role with a certain amount of trepidation at first, after all, I had heard from many different sources that keeping a social separation between your students and yourselves is key to classroom management. This gulf between student and teacher is of course necessary for several legal and ethical grounds, but what I discovered is that being a friend to your students does not at all mean that you grade their work easier than others, or let them bend the rules. I was a friend to the two boys who always played Gameboy in the class at lunch when I joined in on a game or two, just to show them their past times interest me. I was a friend to a girl who I walked around the field with talking for 10 minutes (master teacher was in the room!) because she had been crying about her standardized test scores. Being a friend to a student can have a huge impact, as a person who worked heavily in anti-bullying groups in high school, and by assuming the role of teacher, and friend, an instructor can save student’s life as easily as they help save their below average grades.
What was the toughest aspect of school life when you were a student? How did your mind work then? How did you cope with it?
The toughest aspect of school life for me was the social aspect. I was somewhat antisocial and also did not fully understand social rules and norms. I tried to mirror social behaviors to cope with my lack of understanding, which worked well. The academic aspect of school was also tough. In middle school and high school I got very poor grades and was extremely unmotivated to put forth any amount of effort in learning activities. This led to me failing a handful classes and not having the required number of credits to graduate. I was pretty apathetic about school in general. I took summer school after my senior year to get enough credits to graduate high school. In my mind the social aspect of high school was more important than academics. I tried to figure out how to fit in because in high school this was more important than reading books.
Study Question: What are the biggest challenges and crisis moments that you have had as an educator? What are the psychological strategies you used to deal with them?
One of the hardest times I had as an educator was actually out on the recess field with my students. They were playing a flag football game in which I was refereeing, and an act of bullying occurred. Students were breaking the rules during the game and I allowed it to continue, with the student who was being the bully. All I did was give him a few warnings. At the time, I felt like I was doing the right thing, but the student kept realizing that it was only warnings he would receive and not actual consequences. My thought process was that he he would be intimidated by the warnings and I could keep the "consequence" a mystery for further punishments.
I ended up having kids come up to me crying about the kid that was being a bully and how they were upset that I did not protect them. I felt awful because my judgment and "strategy" was nowhere close to the best resolution possible and I put my kids trust in me in jeopardy. I ended up correcting the incident with the help of the principal and addressed the problem, but still wish I had better strategies at the time to handle this hard time.
How did you develop your identity as an educator? What was the process like? What could others learn from it?
As an educator, I see myself as having the responsibility to help my students develop a deeper understanding of themselves and the world the live in. One factor that contributed to the development of my identity as an educator was my experience with my teachers in high school and college. I was fortunate to have teachers who seemed to truly care about my success and were passionate about the subject matter they taught. I saw how, with their support, I grew in knowledge and understanding of myself and the world.
My identity as an educator has also been formed through my experience teaching others. As an undergraduate student, I used my knowledge and understanding to help my friends better understand the material they were learning. Then as a graduate student at Western Michigan University, I had the opportunity to teach undergraduate students. In both experiences, I came to realize that enjoy helping others develop their understanding of the world.
Finally, here at USD, I have continued to refine my identity as an educator. Through my classes and my continued teaching experience, I have been challenged to examine and reflect on my own understanding of teaching so as to be better prepared to help my students develop their own understanding of themselves and their world.
Study Question: What was the toughest aspect of school life when you were a student? How did your mind work then? How did you cope with it?
When I was a student, the toughest aspect of school life was the social relationships around me. I made friends easily, however, I was very insecure about things I would say or my actions because I wanted to maintain all of my friendships and the image that I had at school. Looking back, my ego played a huge role in my life at that time. I went to a college prep high school, and most of my classmates were extremely intelligent, well traveled, and came from upper class families. Due to this, I was even more insecure, because I was very self-conscious about my grades and living up to the standards of my fellow classmates. I was very hard on myself because I did not have perfect grades like my classmates. I was in a constant battle between my ego and my id in my high school years. I wanted to follow my own desires, but was very conscientious of how others viewed me. I coped with this by simply trying my hardest. But it was not until years later, and even today, that I am learning to be more aware of my needs and desires and less focused on the ego aspect of the brain.
Study Question: What aspects of you as an educator go beyond simply serving as a “teacher” for your students? How is it important for you?
The reason I chose to go into the field of teaching is because a teacher has the opportunity to make a difference in students' lives by playing several roles or "wearing different hats". A teacher is not simply someone who teaches, but an adult who is anything his or her students need him or her to be. Just from my student teaching experiences, I experienced myself in different roles such as: a second parent, a psychologist, advocate, a nurse, a judge, a protector, and a social worker. The greatest joy I get besides teaching students academic content is being whatever they need me to be. I feel extremely strong in my role as an advocate for each of my students and I will do everything in my power to provide them with what they need to succeed. Although I understand the emotional drainage and wear that comes with this type of perspective and attitude, I believe it is the only way for me to whole heartily teach.
Study Question: What aspects of your work as an educator go beyond simply serving as a "teacher" for your students? How is it important for you?
I feel social and identity development are both especially prevalent and especially important to adult ESL learners because my students are assimilating to an entirely new culture and way of life. Consequently, my students (at least from this past semester) often struggled with establishing their new/own identity in America because they do not feel they can express themselves in the same way as in their native language, despite being in an upper level ESL class. My students experienced familial deaths, medical emergencies, stalking, and relocation this past semester. While this was definitely an intense emotional experience for me, I mostly feel honored that my students allowed me into their lives on such a personal level. This is important to me because I entered the teaching field with the hopes of empowering whole people, and promoting identity development within individuals who may feel out of place, unnecessarily. Simply serving as a “teacher” would not satisfy me, and it seems many of my altruistic peers feel similarly.
What aspects of your work as an educator go beyond simply serving as a "teacher" for your students? How is it important for you?
From my experiences as a teacher so far, it has evident that you job is much more than teaching content to students. A teacher has to be a counselor to students as well. Teachers need to listen to students, know what they are going through, know their learning disorders and know their personal struggles. Aside from teaching students content, teachers need to help students overcome the personal struggles they may be going through. Students will have a much better chance at succeeding in the classroom if the teacher understands their unique circumstances. I know that I will encounter many students who come to me for advice and help throughout my career as a teacher. It will be my job to do my best to counsel students, help them overcome struggles and help them live a healthy life.
What aspects of your work as an educator go beyond simply serving as a "teacher" for your students? How is it important for you?
From my experiences as a teacher so far, it has evident that you job is much more than teaching content to students. A teacher has to be a counselor to students as well. Teachers need to listen to students, know what they are going through, know their learning disorders and know their personal struggles. Aside from teaching students content, teachers need to help students overcome the personal struggles they may be going through. Students will have a much better chance at succeeding in the classroom if the teacher understands their unique circumstances. I know that I will encounter many students who come to me for advice and help throughout my career as a teacher. It will be my job to do my best to counsel students, help them overcome struggles and help them live a healthy life.
Study Question: What aspects of your as an educator go beyond simply serving as a “teacher” for your students? How is it important for you?
ReplyDeleteWhile at Head Start, I realized that my role went far beyond simply being a “teacher.” Unfortunately, for some of my students, I was the only stable and supportive adult in their lives. Many of these 3-5 year old students were facing challenges that no child should have to experience. It was the most emotionally draining and satisfying experience of my life. I was exhausted with how emotionally involved I became with my students and their families. I had difficulty leaving my job at work and pursuing my own life at home. However, some of my biggest accomplishments occurred at Head Start. I helped a family find a home after they became homeless. I helped a foster child with social anxiety feel safe and loved. I helped create a community of learners who supported one another and flourished. It was these experiences that opened the door to pursuing a career in education. I believe the fundamental role of an educator is to nurture the wellbeing of students and support their growth academically, mentally, emotionally, and physically. I think Maslow’s hierarchy of needs truly demonstrates the stance education needs to take. Without supporting the students’ physiological needs, security, belonging, and esteem needs, self-actualization and learning cannot take place. My most important role as an educator is to meet my students where they are and work alongside of them to foster a love for themselves, others, and an eagerness to learn.
What kinds of defense mechanisms have you seen among your students? How did you approach each case? How would you have approached it differently? Why?
ReplyDeleteThrough my experiences in the classroom I have seen everyone of these defense mechanisms used at one point or another. One specific student came to mind when reading about repression. This student was being bullied out on the playground, and excluded from his classmates. When it would come time to do peer work in class he constantly had a difficult time working with his peers. At the time we did not know that he was being bullied but on several occasions during group work he would get into altercations with others and start crying. I pulled the student aside and asked him what was happening, and he said nothing I just don’t like working with them. It continued to happen so again I tried to talk to him and he opened up about what was happening. I then decided to do a community circle on bullying where students shared a time that they felt embarrassed, pick on, or excluded by their peers and how that made them feel. The student opened up and the class was listening to him, he started crying and many of the peers in the class did too. I believe that this community circle helped the class develop a sense of empathy and put themselves in the student’s shoes. I think that this honestly was a good way to go about the situation because it did not single him out since all students were sharing and being vulnerable in a safe environment. He did not mention names of his classmates but they were able to better understand how their actions were making him feel and he was able to vocalize his feelings and put them back into his conscious mind instead of continuing to repress them. After this I saw a huge change in the classroom while working with peers, so I believe this was an effective way to handle this particular situation.
Study Question: What aspects of you as an educator go beyond simply serving as a “teacher” for your students? How is it important for you?
ReplyDeleteI think the most significant role i took on for many of my students this semester was that of a friend. I approached this role with a certain amount of trepidation at first, after all, I had heard from many different sources that keeping a social separation between your students and yourselves is key to classroom management. This gulf between student and teacher is of course necessary for several legal and ethical grounds, but what I discovered is that being a friend to your students does not at all mean that you grade their work easier than others, or let them bend the rules. I was a friend to the two boys who always played Gameboy in the class at lunch when I joined in on a game or two, just to show them their past times interest me. I was a friend to a girl who I walked around the field with talking for 10 minutes (master teacher was in the room!) because she had been crying about her standardized test scores. Being a friend to a student can have a huge impact, as a person who worked heavily in anti-bullying groups in high school, and by assuming the role of teacher, and friend, an instructor can save student’s life as easily as they help save their below average grades.
What was the toughest aspect of school life when you were a student? How did your mind work then? How did you cope with it?
ReplyDeleteThe toughest aspect of school life for me was the social aspect. I was somewhat antisocial and also did not fully understand social rules and norms. I tried to mirror social behaviors to cope with my lack of understanding, which worked well. The academic aspect of school was also tough. In middle school and high school I got very poor grades and was extremely unmotivated to put forth any amount of effort in learning activities. This led to me failing a handful classes and not having the required number of credits to graduate. I was pretty apathetic about school in general. I took summer school after my senior year to get enough credits to graduate high school. In my mind the social aspect of high school was more important than academics. I tried to figure out how to fit in because in high school this was more important than reading books.
Study Question: What are the biggest challenges and crisis moments that you have had as an educator? What are the psychological strategies you used to deal with them?
ReplyDeleteOne of the hardest times I had as an educator was actually out on the recess field with my students. They were playing a flag football game in which I was refereeing, and an act of bullying occurred. Students were breaking the rules during the game and I allowed it to continue, with the student who was being the bully. All I did was give him a few warnings. At the time, I felt like I was doing the right thing, but the student kept realizing that it was only warnings he would receive and not actual consequences. My thought process was that he he would be intimidated by the warnings and I could keep the "consequence" a mystery for further punishments.
I ended up having kids come up to me crying about the kid that was being a bully and how they were upset that I did not protect them. I felt awful because my judgment and "strategy" was nowhere close to the best resolution possible and I put my kids trust in me in jeopardy. I ended up correcting the incident with the help of the principal and addressed the problem, but still wish I had better strategies at the time to handle this hard time.
How did you develop your identity as an educator? What was the process like? What could others learn from it?
ReplyDeleteAs an educator, I see myself as having the responsibility to help my students develop a deeper understanding of themselves and the world the live in. One factor that contributed to the development of my identity as an educator was my experience with my teachers in high school and college. I was fortunate to have teachers who seemed to truly care about my success and were passionate about the subject matter they taught. I saw how, with their support, I grew in knowledge and understanding of myself and the world.
My identity as an educator has also been formed through my experience teaching others. As an undergraduate student, I used my knowledge and understanding to help my friends better understand the material they were learning. Then as a graduate student at Western Michigan University, I had the opportunity to teach undergraduate students. In both experiences, I came to realize that enjoy helping others develop their understanding of the world.
Finally, here at USD, I have continued to refine my identity as an educator. Through my classes and my continued teaching experience, I have been challenged to examine and reflect on my own understanding of teaching so as to be better prepared to help my students develop their own understanding of themselves and their world.
Study Question: What was the toughest aspect of school life when you were a student? How did your mind work then? How did you cope with it?
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a student, the toughest aspect of school life was the social relationships around me. I made friends easily, however, I was very insecure about things I would say or my actions because I wanted to maintain all of my friendships and the image that I had at school. Looking back, my ego played a huge role in my life at that time. I went to a college prep high school, and most of my classmates were extremely intelligent, well traveled, and came from upper class families. Due to this, I was even more insecure, because I was very self-conscious about my grades and living up to the standards of my fellow classmates. I was very hard on myself because I did not have perfect grades like my classmates. I was in a constant battle between my ego and my id in my high school years. I wanted to follow my own desires, but was very conscientious of how others viewed me. I coped with this by simply trying my hardest. But it was not until years later, and even today, that I am learning to be more aware of my needs and desires and less focused on the ego aspect of the brain.
Study Question: What aspects of you as an educator go beyond simply serving as a “teacher” for your students? How is it important for you?
ReplyDeleteThe reason I chose to go into the field of teaching is because a teacher has the opportunity to make a difference in students' lives by playing several roles or "wearing different hats". A teacher is not simply someone who teaches, but an adult who is anything his or her students need him or her to be. Just from my student teaching experiences, I experienced myself in different roles such as: a second parent, a psychologist, advocate, a nurse, a judge, a protector, and a social worker. The greatest joy I get besides teaching students academic content is being whatever they need me to be. I feel extremely strong in my role as an advocate for each of my students and I will do everything in my power to provide them with what they need to succeed. Although I understand the emotional drainage and wear that comes with this type of perspective and attitude, I believe it is the only way for me to whole heartily teach.
Study Question: What aspects of your work as an educator go beyond simply serving as a "teacher" for your students? How is it important for you?
ReplyDeleteI feel social and identity development are both especially prevalent and especially important to adult ESL learners because my students are assimilating to an entirely new culture and way of life. Consequently, my students (at least from this past semester) often struggled with establishing their new/own identity in America because they do not feel they can express themselves in the same way as in their native language, despite being in an upper level ESL class. My students experienced familial deaths, medical emergencies, stalking, and relocation this past semester. While this was definitely an intense emotional experience for me, I mostly feel honored that my students allowed me into their lives on such a personal level. This is important to me because I entered the teaching field with the hopes of empowering whole people, and promoting identity development within individuals who may feel out of place, unnecessarily. Simply serving as a “teacher” would not satisfy me, and it seems many of my altruistic peers feel similarly.
What aspects of your work as an educator go beyond simply serving as a "teacher" for your students? How is it important for you?
ReplyDeleteFrom my experiences as a teacher so far, it has evident that you job is much more than teaching content to students. A teacher has to be a counselor to students as well. Teachers need to listen to students, know what they are going through, know their learning disorders and know their personal struggles. Aside from teaching students content, teachers need to help students overcome the personal struggles they may be going through. Students will have a much better chance at succeeding in the classroom if the teacher understands their unique circumstances. I know that I will encounter many students who come to me for advice and help throughout my career as a teacher. It will be my job to do my best to counsel students, help them overcome struggles and help them live a healthy life.
What aspects of your work as an educator go beyond simply serving as a "teacher" for your students? How is it important for you?
ReplyDeleteFrom my experiences as a teacher so far, it has evident that you job is much more than teaching content to students. A teacher has to be a counselor to students as well. Teachers need to listen to students, know what they are going through, know their learning disorders and know their personal struggles. Aside from teaching students content, teachers need to help students overcome the personal struggles they may be going through. Students will have a much better chance at succeeding in the classroom if the teacher understands their unique circumstances. I know that I will encounter many students who come to me for advice and help throughout my career as a teacher. It will be my job to do my best to counsel students, help them overcome struggles and help them live a healthy life.