My Ah-Hah Moments
- mgbard1
- Aug 22, 2021
- 2 min read
Through reading just the first few sections of "The Successful Middle School" by Penny Bishop and Lisa Harrison and "What Every Middle School Teacher Should Know" by Dave Brown and Trudy Knowles, I had several "ah-hah" moments as a future middle level educator.
Beginning in the foreword of "What Every Middle School Teacher Should Know", its stated, "whether [your teaching experience is] good or bad depends largely on how you see things" (Beane xix). This made me realize that teaching is solely based on your mindset. It's not all about mastering the material you're teaching but rather being able to come into the classroom each day with a positive attitude ready to face whatever happens whether that do be a question about the content or a social issue between students. This made me realize that being a middle level teacher is an even better fit for me than I thought because I always like to challenge myself and staying positive is always a priority in my life.
Another quote within this text that spoke to me was "teaching middle level is all about relationships. The curricula take a back seat to their lives" (Brown 7). This made me realized that this age group specifically really needs strong relationships and trust. Forming a relationship is the foundation to fun and smooth learning. I remember when I was in middle school, the teachers I always really got along with and learned a lot from were the ones that were personal and cared about building trusting relationships with students and thats the teacher I strive to be.
"The Successful Middle School" has already taught me several things on how to be a successful teacher based on middle schoolers needs. "All young adolescents deserve schools that help them become competent and confident individuals who feel a sense of agency, are proud of who they are, are optimistic about their future, feel connected to those around them, and are prepared to succeed in our ever- changing world" (Bishop 4). Middle school is a time to learn about yourself and grow into an adult. It is our job as teachers to help and lead students to be the best people they can be and not always the best student they can be.
I agree with what you said in your last paragraph "Middle school is a time to learn about yourself and grow into an adult. It is our job as teachers to help and lead students to be the best people they can be and not always the best student they can be." As a teacher we are here to guide students no matter the who they are and what type of demeanor they carry as well. Being the teacher we have gone through the faze of middle school and know what will be expected.
I do agree that a big portion of teaching successfully is rooted in mindset and attitude, but I would not say it is solely based on that. I think that part of going into the classroom everyday with a positive attitude could somewhat relate back to the idea of avoiding implicit bias that we talked about in class. Keeping that positive attitude everyday would help avoid those unconscious attitudes, reactions, stereotypes, etc that could be caused by personal issues going on outside of the classroom.