Blog Post #9

Mr. McClungs reflections were really enlightening and enjoyable.  I’m not sure if any of my teachers did this at the end of each year, but I would be really curious to read/hear their thoughts and reflections about the years I was in their classes and the situations they encountered. I think this is a great way for faculty to share their ideas with one another and to address problems they had in an easier manor. This could be a great task principals ask their teachers to do before summer break. 

Reflection of 2009-10

In this blog Mr. McClung reflects about the 2009-2010 school year. He talks about the difficulty he had this year dealing with authority figures and being in a new environment and having to deal with the changes that come with that. “I had to learn how to adapt when the current situation required it. The lesson to learn from here is to never get too comfortable, change is good and ultimately it makes us better teachers.” Being too comfortable can be a bad thing, teachers can become too relaxed which can cause them to be unproductive. Later, Mr. McClung discusses how he wants his students to be independent thinkers and how he wants them to lean on teachers only when they feel like they have hit a barrier. I fell the exact same way, I am naturally just an independent person, my parents taught us that from a young age. I want my students to have class discussions and to have independent ideas from one another and from myself. They need to know it is okay not to agree with your peers all the time; you can be independent and have your own opinions. He even goes on to discuss embarrassing things he has done to get his students involved in his lectures, this is the kind of teacher I want to be as well, you should check your ego at the door. Lastly, he said, don't lose sight of what's important. No matter how bad things may be, as a teacher you cannot let surrounding factors affect how you conduct yourself in the classroom, your top priority are the students.

What I learned in 2010-11

In the section “Know Who Your Boss Is” Mr. MClung discusses the reasons he became a teacher, for the students. He chose this profession because he wants to teach these children the knowledge and information that will last them a lifetime; he doesn’t want to let adults or authority figures influence his teaching techniques. Later, he goes on to say that he is somewhat of an “outsider”, he doesn’t get along with many teachers and spends his lunch time with students rather than in the teachers’ lounge. “It took me a while before I was comfortable with not fitting in with the rest of the crowd but I realized that my common core of beliefs were important to me and that I needed to be myself and not worry about the perception that others have of me.” Being childish and getting along well with his students is more important than being popular with the other teachers in his building, he puts his students and their education above popularity.