Winter 2012 Partnership Magazine - College of Education Home ...

Waseca
Lisa Zika
When I graduated from college three decades ago,
some advice an educational advisor gave me was this-
“Don’t smile until Christmas”. It sounded so negative at the
time, and I ignored that bit of wisdom. However, after my first
year teaching, I knew exactly what he was trying to tell me.
In year two, I spent the month of September teaching routines
and procedures in my 5th grade classroom. They didn’t know
what I expected in my classroom until I taught them. After
the procedures and routines were learned, I could ease up a bit, the
students could have lots of fun learning, and the classroom operated as
a high functioning learning environment. I am pretty sure I smiled before
Susan Topp
It could be said that education is one of our most
valuable resources. That is a belief that I embrace. It can
open the door to limitless possibilities, opportunities, and
experiences throughout our lives. I am passionate about
learning and view myself as a life-long learner.
As an educator, I strive to instill this value of life-long
learning in my students. I believe that all students can learn
and those that continue to try will never be failures. As a
Spanish classroom teacher this was posted prominently in the room:
“El que sigue tratando nunca será un fracaso” Thus, my philosophy
includes, putting forth your best effort and not being afraid to admit
that you don’t know something. I believe in establishing an environment
where questioning is valued and the only “dumb” question is the
Faribault
Pam Kennedy
I’ve been at this job, teaching, for a long time. I began
before standards, before state and national accountability,
before copiers, before OBE, AYP, MAP, and NWEA, before
classroom phones, cell phones, computers, and the internet,
before google, facebook, twitter, blogs and video games.
Yes, for that long I’ve been at it. I’ve taught in rural, urban,
and suburban Minnesota. I’ve taught regular ed, mainstream,
special ed, preschool, kindergarten, primary, intermediate,
middle school and college. I started in the 70’s, survived the 80’s, rejuvenated
in the 90’s, was shocked by the 00’s, and am reflecting in the 10’s.
In retrospect, I have to admit, the heart of teaching is still the same.
Building relationships with students, their families, colleagues, administration,
paras, kitchen, custodial and office staff is still the basis of the work. Love
your content, love learning, hold high expectations of yourself and your
students and believe that you can make a difference. Honor and respect the
responsibility and power that your influence, as a teacher, can make on every
student.
That’s what all the people I have been lucky enough to work alongside
have taught me. I have chosen to surround myself with professionals who are
positive and value this most important career. I continue to seek experiences
that force me to learn and improve. It is a ‘calling’ that requires continual
growth; you are never done.
Lastly, I do believe, for the most part, that ‘All I Really Need to Know I
Christmas. Maybe Thanksgiving?
After 33 years of teaching, I think another important
part in getting students to succeed in my classroom was in
building a strong relationship with each and every one of
them. A solid rapport academically, personally, and socially
needs to be established. When that happens, students will
work hard for themselves and for the teacher. Building this
rapport can be started by finding out an interest of each
student. In attending one of their athletic events, plays, or
concerts, this appearance lets students know that the teacher
is interested in them as a person. This relationship cannot be built on
sarcasm or by raising voices in the classroom. It is built by showing
respect for everyone and being firm, fair, and caring.
question not asked. Furthermore, for students and educators
alike, it is okay to admit you don’t know something, but that
you can and will find out the answer.
While modeling and promoting the value of education,
teachers must be consistent and fair in the enforcement
of rules and procedures in order to help establish an
environment where students can learn. This includes not only
learning to follow directions, but learning to respect, accept,
and embrace each other’s unique qualities. This appreciation
of individual characteristics will require teachers to be willing
to regularly monitor and adjust lessons to meet their students’ individual
needs and help provide a learning environment that values everyone.
The diversity that makes up our world today is part of what makes life
so fascinating and special and strong educational background can
help us to see that.
Learned in Kindergarten’ as Robert Fulghum wrote in 1985 is
the best advice:
Share everything.
Play fair.
Don’t hit people.
Put things back where you found them.
Clean up your own mess.
Don’t take things that aren’t yours.
Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.
Wash your hands before you eat.
Flush.
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
Live a balanced life-learn some and think some and draw and paint
and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
Take a nap every afternoon.
When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands,
and stick together.
Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup:
The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really
knows how or why, but we are all like that.
Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the
Styrofoam cup-they all die.
So do we.
And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you
learned-the biggest word of all-
LOOK.
24 http://ed.mnsu.edu/csup/