Question 15: The End

It is sad to think that I may never get the same opportunity to observe Mrs. Roark classroom again but she has taught me so much about being a successful teacher!

1. She has taught me the importance of being flexible. If a teacher does not know how to “roll with the punches” then I feel like they will become a stressful teacher.

2. It is important to hear what the children are saying. Each child is special and you can learn a lot from them. The students are not the only ones who should be learning in the schools but the teachers should be learning how to modify their lessons if one child is beginning to struggle. Each child has the potential to change the world and it is important that teachers are one of the people in that child’s life that will listen to their ideas. We are teacher are there to help plant the seed of thinking and we must water their curiosity.

3. Mrs. Roark taught me that the setup of your classroom will either invite or hinder the children’s learning. If you have too much going on in the class children will become distracted but if the classroom is not inviting then the children will just think that they are in prison. Teachers need to start creating safe environments so that a child is not afraid to think outside the box.

4. She has also taught me that as a teacher you will have some good days, some bad but in the end we are doing this to make a difference even if you only make a difference in one child’s life.

5. Conversation is important! If the children do not talk to you, then how will they learn how to think and perfect their comprehension?! I think many teachers are scared that if they allow their students to talk then they will have chaos but if guidelines are set and there respect within the classroom then that wont happened

6. In order to receive respect from the students in your class you MUST give it to them first! The students will never respect you if they don’t feel like you value them. Each child in you class WILL make a difference in the community they live in. We must remember the influence we have on the children in our class.

I would rather make a huge difference in one child’s life than make no difference at all. In the end I realized that there will be good days and there will be bad days the most importance thing to remember is that you are not doing this for the pay in income but you are getting paid to see children understand more.

xoxo