Sixth Teaching Reflection

I feel that reflection is something that an effective educator does instinctively for themselves. Take this blog for example and the fact the you are reading this blog post. We are going through the reflective process together without having to be taught in a course or by being observed. I see reflection as one of those things that should be "hard-wired" into an effective teacher. If you are not the type of individual who automatically spends time considering the how and why as well as the success or failure of your time with students in your classroom then perhaps teaching is not for you.

Reflection is also a highly individual process as unique as the teacher. Some teachers take notes, some record themselves teaching, others pass out surveys to their students (I’ve done all of these). Others simply pause from time to time, even while teaching, to ask themselves, “Is this working?” If you as a teacher don’t take time to reevaluate, your lesson, your day, your week, your quarter, or your year in the classroom, then you simply will not improve as a teacher.

The teacher is there to teach the students and reflection is necessary to this process, regardless if it is documented or not. If the students are attending class regularly, completing the assignments, and still not passing its probably not the students’ fault. Peer observation is another great way to learn how well you are doing. Try inviting a colleague to come in on a conference hour to observe you in action in your classroom. Then set aside some time to discuss your performance with them over lunch or some other casual meeting. This type of informal reflection can yield the greatest benefits of all as together you flush out what works and what needs to be improved upon in your efforts to educate your students.

I also feel like teachers must teach with confidence. We must not only be sure of our subject matter, but expert in relationships, management, and organization (at least in our classrooms). When we speak to our students we must do so authoritatively, while at the same time, maintaining a level of approachability that allows our pupils to view us as both wise and accessible. In addition, we must be consistent in our message not only adhering to our own classroom rules, but more importantly, embodying that which we teach. A confident teacher builds confident students who are prepared to go out into the world.

There are many excellent examples of confident teachers throughout history and I wanted to highlight one of my favorites:

Then they entered Capernaum. When the Sabbath arrived, Jesus lost no time in getting to the meeting place. He spent the day there teaching. They were surprised at his teaching—so forthright, so confident—not quibbling and quoting like the religion scholars.Suddenly, while still in the meeting place, he was interrupted by a man who was deeply disturbed and yelling out, "What business do you have here with us, Jesus? Nazarene! I know what you're up to! You're the Holy One of God, and you've come to destroy us!"Jesus shut him up: "Quiet! Get out of him!" The afflicting spirit threw the man into spasms, protesting loudly—and got out. Everyone there was incredulous, buzzing with curiosity. "What's going on here? A new teaching that does what it says? He shuts up defiling, demonic spirits and sends them packing!" News of this traveled fast and was soon all over Galilee.

As strange as it seems that I've included this passage from Mark 1:21-27, I wanted to remind myself that Jesus was a confident teacher because he knew what he taught to be true and presented it to his followers as truth. Jesus had the benefit of being holy, and even though we'll never come close to his ideal, we as teachers can continue to aspire to such a position. Jesus did not stumble around with his lecture notes, misspell words, or pause to check his facts. He knew what his message was and he delivered it plainly and clearly. And check out that classroom management! How cool would it be if one of us could tell Johnny Obnoxious to sit down in his seat and be quiet and he actually did it the first time without protest??!?! The whole school would be buzzing over that... no after-class meeting required.

Jesus lived what he taught and I could only hope to try to do the same. His message was of salvation and he acted appropriately. Our message, whether it be in the field of Communication, English, Math, History or any other discipline is that our subject matter warrants our students attention and that what we teach them they will actually use in their lifetimes. Of course, that means that we need to actually use what we teach in our daily lives. If we are teaching writing, we need to write; if language, we need to speak the language daily. We must teach our students confidently so that they will be confident of what they learn.

Without being too corny, I know that I will strive for the same kind of focus as good ol' JC when I'm a faculty member. Ok, that is all for tonight.