Michael Sandel?????

This was one of those lectures that kinda hurts your head and makes you feel like you don't know what you believe because he makes you question EVERYTHING! He was very interactive with the audience. In fact, it was more of a discussion than a lecture. He would ask the audience questions and then have them raise their hands and answer into a microphone. It eventually got to the point where the audience was responding to each other's responses and not just Sandel's questions. He proposed some very tough moral situations. We would try to make it better by asking to change certain things in the situation but he would not. It was neat to be able to think about these things because a lot of times we are afraid to think about, let alone have discussions to our peers about. I think as a society, we need to get better at that. It is important to be able to have moral discussions with out there being hostility and judgement. It all comes down to what I have written about before.... RESPECT. It is the core of so many things.

Interfaith...

I went to a lecture given by Karla Suomala, a Luther religion professor. This was about the recent research and inquiries she had done with interfaith. Last year was a very exciting year because Eboo Patel came to Luther to speak about his book, Acts of Faith, that was being read for Paideia. He was such a strong and inspirational speaker that it sparked many ideas about how Luther could get an interfaith group going. Professor Suomala actually got in contact with Eboo and his interfaith organization and started working with them to do case studies dealing with interfaith on college campuses. This was such an interesting lecture for me because I am part of the newly formed interfaith association on campus. The reason why I joined our interfaith group is because I enjoyed reading his book and thought that his mission was so powerful and poignant. I also needed some way to express my beliefs and my religion. I do not feel that the services here connect me with God the way that I want to be. During her lecture we looked at a couple case studies that she had done. They definitely brought up some thought provoking questions. I feel strongly about interfaith because I truly believe that if we all just learned to respect each other and the fact that we are all different, then this world would be such a better and peaceful place.

Collaborativeness

       One may not think, at first, that collaborativeness is needed as teachers but it is quite the contrary. Students need to be in an environment where everything is connected to everything, where the teachers get along and know each other. I believe teachers teach better when they work as a team with their fellow colleagues. This is not to say that different classes or subjects need to be combined all the time, but to incorporate critical thinking and creativity this may be a good idea once in a while.
      To work as a group does not mean that all teachers need to be buddy-buddy, or even agree all the time but there does need to be a sense of respect for people's opinions and ideas. Teachers need to be able to discuss issues and concerns openly without judgement, or arguments. This will also be a good example for the students and show them that there not be agreement all the time and that's ok. There is a way to be respectful and disagree.
    

Efficacy

        So to be honest I have never heard of this word.  I thought that it was supposed to be efficiency at first then I realized that the rest of the question doesn't really pertain to this word. But the definition of efficacy is, "the ability to produce a desired or intended result." Now that I know what this word means, I can see that it is a valuable virtue to have as a teacher. A teacher needs to always have a plan and then know how to execute it in order to get the point of the lesson across to the students. Teachers need to have confidence and persistence in what they are teaching. If their students don't understand right away, try again but in a new manner. Teachers cannot give up, it is not in the job description. If Someone is not willing to work hard, make mistakes and learn from them, then they should be teaching.
       These attributes take time and experience though. New teachers cannot expect everything to be easy and perfect right out of school. Having a real job in the real world is a lot different than taking education classes in college. We should not be afraid to ask questions and even ask for help. No one expects perfection.

Inventiveness and creativity

As discussed in Global Achievement Gap, creativity is what drives people and especially growing students. It makes people ask questions and develop new and life-changing ideas. Creativity is also what employers look for when hiring nowadays. Even though creativity is becoming more of a necessary asset to children, they are not learning how to be creative in school, nor are they being encouraged enough to be creative.

I think that in order to encourage creativity in the classroom, teachers need to give their students more freedom. That concept can be a little scary for some teachers, but many would be surprised at how well kids can handle a little bit a choice in what they learn and what they do. This will also make class more fun for them. They will not get as bored having to do the same thing day after day.

Rewarding creativity is important because then students know that their ideas are worthwhile. If they don't think that they have good ideas then they will be less inclined to be creative or ask more questions. A simple way of rewarding creativity is displaying the students work throughout the classroom. Giving students praise in front of the class sometimes is motivating as well.

For me, as a music educator, I would give my students the opportunity to research a type of music that they are interested in or the pieces that we are working on at the time. I also like putting students into smaller groups so they can interact and lead the group with out a teacher watching them the whole time.

Who is that girl I see, staring straight back at me...

Reflection...
Is a scary thing to do. Reflecting on yourself, forces you to see your flaws and problem areas, and then find a way to fix them. This is why many teachers do not reflect as much as they should. Teachers get comfortable with a certain style of teaching and they don't really want to change. Being able to improve, and being able to know where and when,  is what makes the great teachers so great. These teachers are always trying to improve so that it betters their students.

Teachers need to know how to take constructive criticism. People looking in on your teaching from an outside perspective are able to see things that you would not normally see. Therefore they can help you reflect on your teaching. One way to improve you own teaching would be to video tape a lesson or two. This way when you go back and watch it, you will be able to see things that you do that you don't realize you are doing while you are talking.

I believe that reflection is one of the more important competencies because as teachers, we still need to be able to learn.

Ugh.... math.

I envy people who like math, or even people who are good at it. (You don't have to like something to be good at it and vive versa). Math makes me sick to my stomach. I have never considered myself good at it. I always dreaded my math classes, and I always got nervous for the tests. I used to think that I did have to be good at it to like it, and that it was my fault for how I felt about math. Now that I think back on the math teachers that I had, most of them were incredibly BORING!!! As a student you don't really think of the effect that the teacher has on your performance in the class but it totally does. If these math teachers are not making it fun to learn all these difficult concepts, or show that they enjoy them then why should the students? I remember not even caring about it. I tried to take notes in class and ask questions, but the answers to my questions were not any more exciting than the original explanation. This did not make me motivated to go outside of class to get help either.

Not all of my math teachers were not so boring. There are two in particular that had more personality that a brick wall. One in 8th grade, and the other in 10th grade. These two teachers had a few things in common. They tried to relate to the students. They talked to us about things other than school. They laughed with us, they made jokes, and shared information about themselves with us. There was a connection. Now this alone might not have made me better at the actual math but it sure made me more motivated to get better at it. I liked asking questions in their classes because I knew I would not feel chastised for it.

Passion for teaching is the most obvious quality to have. I mean, one does not go into teaching for the money, the fun, or because it is easy. Let's be real. It is also difficult to keep your passion strong the more years you do it. That is also what it means to teach. Finding new ways to approach your teaching, and always trying to improve. If a teacher shows this in a classroom, it will then reflect in their students.

Fo' Real!?

Teachers have one of the toughest jobs. If anyone tells you differently they are just too proud to admit it. Teachers need to be so many different things at the same time. They need to be compassionate, supportive, challenging, encouraging, helpful, and the list goes on and on. One quality that may not be the first thing you think of when describing a teacher is authentic. Authenticity is important for a variety of reasons...

No one likes someone who is "fake", and a student is not going to take an authority figure seriously if he knows that this teacher is acting and talking differently in the classroom than outside of the classroom. Even though it may come as a surprise to some people, kids are a very quick and good judge or character. It is how they thrive in their school environment. Their friendships are changing almost weekly, if not daily, and their emotions and hormones are all eschew. Their classrooms teachers, need to be someone that they can count on; they need to be a constant.

Now there needs to be a line between student and teacher. I truly believe that there can be a friendship but it needs to have boundaries and the student still needs to see the teacher as an authority figure. If a teacher is talking about his drama and problems in his life, then soon enough, the student will start to feel as an equal and that can lead to a whole other mess of problems.
On the other side of the spectrum, a teacher does not want to be totally cold towards their students either. Students will respect and learn better from a person who they can relate to. If they know that this adult understands them and what they are going through then the classroom environment will be a lot better.

It is tough to find this balance, and by no means am I saying I know everything about it, but I believe it comes with experience. As most things in life do.

Compassion

         I would like to tell you about one person in my life that has shown the greatest amount of compassion. She is a not only a teacher, but a mentor and friend. You don't often come across a woman like this one. I consider my self lucky and most of all honored to know her. Here is my story of the incredible woman, Joanna Walters.

         I have known Joanna since I was a toddler at ABC Daycare. I made my living as a 4-year-old by charging 25 cents to give her back-rubs while watching Arthur and The Magic School Bus. Although I do not remember much about then, I do remember our special connection, even at my young age. A few times, she brought in her violin to play and to show us. I remember thinking that I was so cool because I played the violin too. I was the kid constantly raising my hand to answer questions that she asked.
         Soon after I started school at Lowell Elementary, Joanna got a job there as the orchestra teacher. Kindergarten-6th grade, I got to know her even better. I don't know what is was but I always felt so comfortable with her and felt that I could tell her anything, which is very important to young student. Maybe it was her kind, funny, and beautiful personality. Or maybe it was how supportive she was of all her students. She always brought the best out in them. A group of my orchestra friends and I grew very close to each other as well as to Joanna during out time at Lowell.  After 6th grade we moved to a different school, which also meant a different orchestra teacher. I was pretty nervous about this. I did not see her as much and therefore kind of grew apart from her. It wasn't anything bad, we just both went to different places.
         I believe this next part was fate...
         At the end of 8th grade I found out that she was going to teach at the high school that I was going to. I was actually quite nervous for this. I was not sure what she would think or if she would be the same person. Well, she was the same person. When I entered high school, it was as if we had never spent 2 years in different schools. Throughout my 4 years at Central High School, I was able to watch how she interacted with her colleagues and her students. I admired at the way she handled situations so professionally but with so much care and class. Joanna takes time for everyone of her students when they need it. She is hard working and never gives up.
         Another thing is that she not only teaches her students music, but she teaches them to be good human beings. She relates to her students and tries to understand each and every one. Joanna respects them. This is why so many of her students respect her in return.
         Joanna helped me become the woman I am today because of her compassion for people and her passion for music and life. She is one of the main reasons that I wanted to become a music teacher. I saw how joyful and fulfilling it made her life, even through the tough times, and I wanted the same thing.
        There are not enough words or actions that can express how much she means to me. and the wonderful woman that she is. I love you Mrs. Walters!<3

Respect runs in the family...

  My title pretty much explains it all. We all want to be respected. It is a natural desire to have. Who wouldn't want to have respect from others? No matter what a person says out loud, deep down, everyone wants to have respect from others. What is respect? This is a word that does not have one simple answer. For me, respect is a necessity. It is common sense. It is a way of life actually.
  Growing up, the concept of respect was instilled on me by both my parents, but especially my father. My dad is one of my biggest role models. He is wise and talented, kind and funny, and he cooks! (Guys in the future better be prepared because you have big shoes to fill)! I think he always talked about respect, and raised my sisters and I with it, because of his father.
  My grandfather recently passed away from Alzheimer's. I never really knew him when he was completely lucid, but the week of his death, I learned more about him and his life than I ever thought I would. The puzzle pieces of my life slowly started to come together and questions that I didn't even know I had were answered. Everything seemed so clear. I will now try to tell the amazing story of my grandpa in just one paragraph.

  My grandpa Max, for those who really knew him, got the mumps at age 16 which left him legally blind. Now this is a difficult situation to deal with in the first place, but Max was no normal man. He was a musician. This was his love and passion. But instead of giving up on music because he could not see the notes in front of him, he worked even harder. He eventually graduated from a braille and sight-saving school and then earned degrees at both Drake and Iowa State University. He went on, to not only play music, but teach it as well. Max was one of the most RESPECTED band directors during his career. He won numerous awards and was a role model, mentor and inspiration to all of his students.

  My grandpa taught his children to work hard at everything they do and to be good people. Max was a prime example of what respect means. He did not step on or hurt other people to get to the top. He did it with hard work and integrity. That is what he taught my dad, who then taught it to me and my sisters. I am proud to be able to say that I am the daughter of Mark Whitlock and the grand-daughter of Max Whitlock. Two men who I will love and always respect.