Do I want to be a teacher

As I sat in class rating my unit plan, I keep thinking to myself if I really want to be a teacher. How did you become a teacher? Did you posses the skills to teach, did any of your family decide for you, are you following in the footsteps of your parents, did you have a teacher that influence and made a difference on you, or did you always knew you wanted to be a teacher? The burden and pressure that you receive from student, principle, and specially parents, criticizing you and not acknowledging what you actually do for the students. Yes, you are a teacher and yes it is your job. What is the pleasure and satisfaction of being a teacher? Do you receive a "HIGH" when the students get the first ‘A’ in your class, the fact that you will make a difference (or no difference at all) for any students? Is it an obligation for you to fulfill because of all the education you receive of becoming a teacher (receiving your teacher certificate, graduating college, and receiving a master). If I question myself, does that mean I’m not ready to be a teacher, or…? I just need some input, whether to see if being a teacher is my calling or am I just stalling.

I read last week that the Chicago Board of Education might vote into having a gay and lesbian school. I don’t understand, is the school being run by politics? I thought the best interest for the students is having an education and exceeding their potential. I thought we were through with segregation and yet every year we seem to take a step back into the past.

Teachers in Technology

There is so much talk in class about how to use technology in a school setting. There are times when I just sit there and listen to what everyone is saying and yet don’t understand what everyone is talking about. I listen closely in hope of understanding what I learned in class will be applied in my teaching. I try to imagine how I would conduct my studies and learning through my classes and incorporate my learning in a curriculum that I can use in my student education. Students nowadays are using technology as a tool or a support for communicating with each others. They are participating in an active role rather than the passive role in a recipient of information transmitted by a teacher, textbook, television, or radio. Kids nowadays know how to use a computer without taking classes, transferring music to an IPod, make a CD or video on a computer and teachers has no knowledge of it what so ever. The student is actively making choices about how to generate, obtain, manipulate, or display information. We have IPods that can be manipulated into carrying information, test, formulas, and many other uses. In a where a teacher teaches technology, the students is actively thinking about information, making choices, and executing skills before a teacher touches up on the subject of technology. Moreover, I think the teacher is no longer the center of attention in giving information but rather the facilitator in when to use, where to use, how to use one technology in a classroom. When that’s said and done, the teacher’s role in a technology class is to provide suggestions and support for students, and teacher are finding themselves behind the technology outbreak.

Pedagogy

‘Pedagogy is also sometimes referred to as the correct use of teaching strategies’ (Wiki). This is what we talked about at last class session. I understand that you have to follow some guide line but for you to become a better teacher, don’t you have to put your own spin in to the mix. Sometimes the way the curriculum is written up does not always show that the student is learning. They may do the homework, participate in class, and be active; does that mean that the student is actually learning? I ask, because putting myself in a position where a young mind can be molded is a large task. I don’t want to be ‘the’ teacher where the teacher is teaching because it’s their job. I want to, at least, make a difference in their lives. I understand it’s a job but it’s no ordinary job.

Meaningful Learning

In our discussion in class ( Sept 29) about 'Meaningful Learning' is that there are series of stages or phases during which the learning processes new knowledge and integrates it with knowledge that they already know or exist. You have all this different meaning of 'Meaningful Learning' that distinguishing what is a 'Meaningful Learning' to a person still confuses me but I will understand what I need to do once I start teaching. I may not understand what we talk about in class sometimes but I believe I'll start understand when that moment (teaching) comes. I ask myself 'Why do I want to be a teacher' and the answer I always get is 'change in venue'. I know that will also change once I start teaching. I have not felt what it is like being a teacher and from what I see in class, it seems like everybody enjoy what they're doing.