Dr. Wendy Ghiora January 27, 2012 - Posting #102
The other day I was thinking about my first teaching job. I was initially hired as remedial reading teacher for ninth through twelfth grade students at a public high school in Los Angeles County. By the second year, I was teaching four classes of English and one class of Modern Dance. The dance class came about through the efforts of a few of my reading students. As I recalled the intensity and pure joy exhibited during most of our class workouts, the idea of a teacher’s “two loves” hit me.
Love What You Teach
One of a teacher’s loves has got to be her subject. Any student readily knows when a teacher is teaching something they love. Great teachers not only love their subject, but they love to share that joy with students.
When I was about to finish high school, a group of us who were planning to become teachers had a lively discussion at lunch one day. Since many of us had the same classes, someone asked: “Who was your favorite teacher?” After each student answered, this question followed: "What do they all have in common?" I immediately knew the answer, "They all loved what they were doing. They had great enthusiasm for teaching." All of my fellow graduating students nodded their heads in agreement. One of them, to punctuate the point, said "Exactly!"
I can’t tell you how much pleasure I had dancing and teaching my students the love I had for the most beautiful, pure art form ever; dance. The students picked up on the enthusiasm and had as much fun or maybe even more fun than I did during class. In the process they learned: discipline, technique, rhythm, music, choreography, performance skills, team work and much more.
If you love what you are doing you will be successful.
- Albert Schweitzer
Love Who You Teach
Terrific teachers love their students. They enjoy being with young people who are full of energy and always on the edge of discovery. These teachers have a special knack for connecting with students, and for helping them open their minds.
Good teachers are those who genuinely care about their students, not only in matters regarding education, but in other aspects outside of the classroom as well. Because of the devotion good teachers have to their students, they care about each student’s performance in school and are willing to spend a few minutes of their time to understand a struggling student’s circumstances.
Good teachers are not only teachers; they are mentors, friends and inspirations.
This is really the key component to teaching – love. Without a love of the subject and of the students, a teacher can never truly be successful.
Love is a better teacher than duty.
Albert Einstein
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
WANT TO RAISE YOUR CHILD'S GRADES? BE PROACTIVE
Dr. Wendy Ghiora
Posting #101 – January 17, 2012
In about two weeks, you’ll be receiving your child’s first semester grades. If you even suspect there may be problems, such as lower grades than you anticipated, now is the time to act. As soon as school reconvenes, call and schedule appointments with your child’s teachers.
Be proactive. Begin the meeting by thanking the teacher for all the hard work she has done with your child. Do your homework and be prepared with specific questions. These are some I recommend:
1. What are my child's strengths?
If the only news you return with is about your child's deficits weaknesses (i.e. attention span, engagement, effort), your child can be left with feelings of failure and inadequacy. A balanced report gives you, the parent, a good second perspective from an objective teacher's point of view. This question also gives you valuable information about how the teacher sees your child.
It can tell you much about the farsightedness or nearsightedness of the teacher. Does she see his strengths and is she capable of articulating them by providing specific examples? Or is she always looking at problems and limitations?
2. What are the major goals other than academics that are addressed in the classroom?
Is there a focus on something besides test scores, benchmarks and grades?
Other goals could include: higher level thinking, cooperation, leadership, responsibility, application, in-depth analysis and being able to see several sides of an issue. Are these skills being covered? Where is your child in regards to these areas?
3. How are my child's social skills?
Do people like him? Does he make and have friends or is he seen as a bully? How does she handle adversity and social conflict at school? Ask for specific examples of what the teacher is seeing, don't accept generalizations or judgmental labels. You want to know how the teacher really views your child when the grades are set aside.
4. Is my child working to the best of his ability?
How is progress measured? If my child is currently behind in any assignments, what are they, and how can he make them up? How can I monitor my child's completion of assignments on a daily basis?
5.What type of learner is my child (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, tactile)?
How does she accommodate differences in learning? How does she differentiate lessons to meet the needs of all learners?
6. What standardized tests will be administered this year?
How much class time will be devoted to preparing students for them?
7. How can I support your teaching program at home?
What can we do at home to support you? What does he need to work on and how can I help? Get specific feedback, such as "has difficulty combining sentences" or "has difficulty summarizing stories," as well as specific information about how you can tackle any issues.
8. How can we engage in timely communication?
What is the best way to keep in touch with the teacher (telephone, email)? Let the teacher know you are an important part of her team. Ensure the teacher you have a common purpose; to help your child realize his potential as a student and a productive member of society.
By being proactive and creating situations, you do not have to wait for the bad ones to come and force you to react.
Anonymous
Posting #101 – January 17, 2012
In about two weeks, you’ll be receiving your child’s first semester grades. If you even suspect there may be problems, such as lower grades than you anticipated, now is the time to act. As soon as school reconvenes, call and schedule appointments with your child’s teachers.
Be proactive. Begin the meeting by thanking the teacher for all the hard work she has done with your child. Do your homework and be prepared with specific questions. These are some I recommend:
1. What are my child's strengths?
If the only news you return with is about your child's deficits weaknesses (i.e. attention span, engagement, effort), your child can be left with feelings of failure and inadequacy. A balanced report gives you, the parent, a good second perspective from an objective teacher's point of view. This question also gives you valuable information about how the teacher sees your child.
It can tell you much about the farsightedness or nearsightedness of the teacher. Does she see his strengths and is she capable of articulating them by providing specific examples? Or is she always looking at problems and limitations?
2. What are the major goals other than academics that are addressed in the classroom?
Is there a focus on something besides test scores, benchmarks and grades?
Other goals could include: higher level thinking, cooperation, leadership, responsibility, application, in-depth analysis and being able to see several sides of an issue. Are these skills being covered? Where is your child in regards to these areas?
3. How are my child's social skills?
Do people like him? Does he make and have friends or is he seen as a bully? How does she handle adversity and social conflict at school? Ask for specific examples of what the teacher is seeing, don't accept generalizations or judgmental labels. You want to know how the teacher really views your child when the grades are set aside.
4. Is my child working to the best of his ability?
How is progress measured? If my child is currently behind in any assignments, what are they, and how can he make them up? How can I monitor my child's completion of assignments on a daily basis?
5.What type of learner is my child (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, tactile)?
How does she accommodate differences in learning? How does she differentiate lessons to meet the needs of all learners?
6. What standardized tests will be administered this year?
How much class time will be devoted to preparing students for them?
7. How can I support your teaching program at home?
What can we do at home to support you? What does he need to work on and how can I help? Get specific feedback, such as "has difficulty combining sentences" or "has difficulty summarizing stories," as well as specific information about how you can tackle any issues.
8. How can we engage in timely communication?
What is the best way to keep in touch with the teacher (telephone, email)? Let the teacher know you are an important part of her team. Ensure the teacher you have a common purpose; to help your child realize his potential as a student and a productive member of society.
By being proactive and creating situations, you do not have to wait for the bad ones to come and force you to react.
Anonymous
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