By Any Means Human – What are yours?
Summertime is a unique time in the life of a teacher, at least in the life of this teacher.
a – it gives me time to take back my self after the non-stop of the school year.
b – it also allows for reflection on the teaching I have done and will do.
(c – and of course summer is a time for fun, without thinking about having to preserve my energy for the classroom in the morning!)
TracyRosen.com via kwout
…back to the reflection…
Beyond (or before) the academic content and the tools that we teach to help students master that content is us.
Us as teachers and as people.
Who we are as humans and what things human we bring to our classrooms.
It’s our humanity that makes us unique as teachers.
So I ask, what is the human gift that you bring to your classroom (be it K-12 or conference/workshop/lecture room)? I think we all bring a whole bunch of different gifts, but I’m asking for your #1.
Think about it.
Mine? I bring calm. I’ve been told by a few students over the years that they appreciate this – “Miss, you’re so zen!” – and so I try to create more pockets of it in their lives.
How do I do this?
- I’m consistent with my expectations and follow-up so they know what they’re getting themselves into
- I keep my voice low – loud teacher=loud classroom
- I smile a lot, but not like an inane ninny, just because working with kids all day is the hottest thing I know. It brings my calm to me.
I’m calling on some teachers to answer this one with me. Pass it on to others if you like by linking back here.
Jose
Damian
Elona
MrMayo
Steve
Dan
Joel
Heidi
Scott
Greg
Ken
And, it goes without saying, if you are reading this and are somehow not on that list, sorry I left you out. Didn’t mean to, please join in!