Teaching and CrossFit

I joined a CrossFit gym around the same time I started the K-8 Teaching Certificate program. And for the last 6 months that has been about the only thing my life has consisted of. I've always used CrossFit as my mental break from all the school work, and also used focusing on school work as my distraction from beating myself up for not having a very good workout. While I have always know that CrossFit has kept me sane, I didn't realize how much over lap there is with teaching and CrossFit until my dad sent me a video earlier this week.

One of the teachers in this video makes the parallels very clear to me by saying:

"You walk in and you are performing. It's a weird sense in that it is a little bit of a show. There is dialogue and stuff like that but there is so much energy that goes into walking into that room. And at the end of it you walk out of it with this rush. This really amazing moment and I am always drained because I put everything into it. And it was fun at the end. Not always fun going in because I have to summon a lot of energy to get this done. But once it's done it is awesome."

For me, this is exactly how I feel regardless of if I'm walking into a classroom or into a CrossFit gym. No matter how exhausted I might be at the start of my day, I always end it with thinking how great it feels to accomplish the things I did. It could be working with a struggling student and finally having a break through, or it could be that I got a new squat PR. Even on the not so great days, I leave both places at the end of the day and feel like what I've accomplished IS awesome.

Students Helping Other Students

This week my heart melted as I observed students in my 3rd grade class interacting with others. I was amazed at how helpful and caring they were towards others.

The first incident happened when my students went outside for a break. One of the students asked the teacher if the kids from the special education program at our school were going to be outside as well. It turned out that they were and I watched this student and many others play with them as if they were students in their own class. One of the students from the special education program is in a walker and as she got stuck on a upward slant the other students came over and helped her get over it.

The next day I also saw a student helping another student during a math lesson. One of the students was really struggling with understanding the assignment. I saw this student getting frustrated and walked over to see what I could do to help. While I was helping her understand, the student sitting next to her was very encouraging. She kept saying, "you can do it" and "try not to get too frustrated." 

I was amazed at how caring these students were. They put effort into helping others and working as a team to get something done. I am so glad I got to see this side of these kids and I can't wait to see what they can all accomplish together. 

Myths About Teaching

I was rereading sections of Ayers book, "To Teach" and found the list of myths he mentioned. I remember reading these during my first quarter in the teaching program and having my ideas about each. Now that I have spent time in a classroom as a student teacher I feel like my experiences (even though it's been 2 months into the school year) have given me a much better understanding of these myths.

MYTH 1: Good classroom management is an essential first step toward becoming a good teacher.

I have realized classroom management is something that takes years to master. What is going to work for own group of student might not work the next year on different students.

MYTH 2: Teachers learn to teach in colleges of education.

While I continue to learn in my education classes, being in the classroom and putting those therioes into practice has been my best way of learning so far.

MYTH 3: Good teachers are always fun.

I think it is important to make lessons fun and engaging. I think having a positive relationship with students is also important. But I feel that when a student views a teacher as only being "fun" distractions take place.

MYTH 4: Good teachers always know the materials.

It is okay to be learning with the students and discover things together.

MYTH 5: Good teachers begin with curriculum they are given and find clever ways to enhance it. 

I have seen my mentor teacher make adjustments to the curriculum when she can clearly sees them being disengaged but she always has the hope they will take away the same learning objectives.

MYTH 6: Good teachers are good performers.

I agree with what Ayers says in regards to this myth. "This myth strips teaching of much of its depth and texture and is linked to the idea that teaching is telling, that teaching is delivering lessons or dispensing knowledge. This is a tiny piece of teaching."

MYTH 7: Good teachers treat all students alike.

Teachers should hold all students to high standards. I also know that different kids need all types of different riemforcements and consequences.

MYTH 8: Students today are different than ever before.

Every kid is different from another and each kid comes with strength and weaknesses. It's my job as a teacher to effectively teach all of them.

MYTH 9: Good teaching can be measured by how well students do on test. 

I could write a whole novel on my test anxiety and how it was never attributed to if I had a "good" or "bad" teacher.

MYTH 10: A good teacher knows what's going on in the classroom.

Ayers says, "kids are active interpreters of classroom reality, and their interpretations are only sometimes synonymous with their teachers interpretation."

I have witnessed my mentor teacher do an excellent job of finding out multiple views on topics or issues in her classroom.

MYTH 11: All children are above average.

In my first grade class I have a student who is able to read at a 3rd grade level and a student who can barely read 3 words. There is also everyone in between. While some students  are above average there are also some below average. It is the teachers job to know this information and to teach to this variance. 

MYTH 12: Kids today are worse than ever. 

The kids in my classes will have different values and things than I had in mine. Just like I had a different type of childhood as my teachers did. In no way though does this make me think of them as being misbehaved or "bad" kids.

My Ideas on Evaluating Technology Use in the Classroom

    This week I read that article "Evaluating Technology Use in the Classroom". It brought up a few good points when looking at if the technology in the classroom is effective or not. In my main placement and my dyad placement I haven't really seen kids using technology in the classroom. A lot of my opinions on this subject so far is based on my own experiences and the little technology in the classroom I have seen so far, although I believe this will be changing as the year goes on.

Although my ideas on evaluating technology are just starting to develop, I do agree with the points that were brought up. When evaluating technology this article brought up 4 questions that could be asked.

1. Is the technology being used “Just because it’s there”?
2. Is the technology allowing the teacher/students to do Old things in Old ways?
3. Is the technology allowing the teacher/students to do Old things in New ways?
4. Is the technology creating new and different learning experiences for the students?

I think that if the technology in the classroom is just there because the teacher think they should have technology, it becomes a distraction. With no real focus, as the article says, there is no real reason to even have it.

I think that the best way for technology to be used in the classroom is by old things in new ways and creating new and different learning experiences for the students. I LOVED the idea of using technology  to help enhance students learning by showing visuals. The article explained this by saying how students would read the Martin Luther King Jr. speech but by watching a video online students can know

As I have said throughout this post, I don’t know where my exact stance with technology in the classroom stands, but technology is present it should be effective instead of a distraction. I am excited to learn more and develop my opinion.