Blog Assignment 9

Mr. McClung Year 4
I enjoyed reading the posts from Mr. McClung. What I've Learned: Volume 4 was really enlightening. Firstly, I really like the idea of writing at the conclusion of the school year about all you've learned as teacher. I really think it is a great way to reflect on the year, and to read over at the beginning of each year to see some of the things you should do differently. I don't know that I would publish it to a blog though. I personally would prefer to keep my reflection to myself. That's not to say I don't think anyone should publish their thoughts, I just wouldn't. I definitely am going to try this.
In Mr. McClung's post, he talks about two things that he learned during the school year. The first thing he shares is that he noticed that he started to let the way his peers viewed him influence his mood. He explains that he realized that he doesn't need to pay attention to their perceptions, and that he needs to stay true to who he is. He says that he wouldn't have gotten as far as he has if he had been paying attention to they way others felt about him. He exclaims that the reason he has gotten to where he is career wise is that he works for and worries solely on the perception of the children.
The second thing Mr. McClung talks about learning is that he needed to challenge himself. He talks about how he started falling back on old lesson plans and that he wasn't being creative with his lessons anymore. He explains that he had been teaching the same subject for so long that his teachings were starting to lack in imagination. He states that in the coming year he will be teaching a different subject, and that it will help with the fact that he has fallen into a funk as a teacher. He advises his readers to challenge themselves as well.
I agree with Mr. McClung that it is important to challenge yourself as a teacher as well as his notion of working for the children. I will have to remind myself that the children's opinions are the ones that matter and I need to do my best to make sure they are having fun and learning.

Mr. McClung Year 1
After reading Volume 4 of Mr. McClung's posts, and then Reading Volume 1, it is easy to tell that in the latter he was a new teacher, and in the former he was a little more seasoned just by the way he came across to the reader. In Volume 1, Mr. McClung talks about the things he learned during his first year of teaching.
One of the things he learned was that, as a teacher, you have to be flexible. This is going to be hard for me to come to terms with. I like organization and rules. I understand that there is no such thing as a perfect lesson, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to try to make it happen. I think that the first few times I get upset because a lesson did not go the way I planned, I will need to remember Mr. McClungs words of wisdom.
Mr. McClung also talks about listening to your students. He gives an account on a student's answer to one of his questions on an end of the year survey. The child stated that Mr. McClung listened to what he/she says. I feel that being a good listener, as a teacher especially, is extremely important. You never know what students do outside your classroom and how their lives are. Like Mr. McClung said, you may be the only one who actually listens to that child. I try to be an excellent listener with my peers, and I only hope I am an even better listener for my students.