Reflection 2

As I finished reading Wong, I learned the most about how to structure tests properly. I had always been curious how to do it in a way that is beneficial to the learning process as opposed to being a method of punishment. I learned how to match up test questions with objectives rather than simply facts or information. I like the idea of having tests that are not composed of rote memorization like so many of the tests I have taken over the years. I can now see why it was so much easier for teachers to make memorization tests, but I hope that I will find the energy as a teacher to make effective tests.

Classroom procedures was an interesting thing for me to think about so consciously. I remember classrooms where the teacher would walk in and say "Good Afternoon, 7th Period!" and the class would respond with "Good Afternoon Mrs. Beck!" With that teacher, I knew that as soon as I came in the door, the assignment for the day would be on the overhead projector and I should copy it down and get my notebook out. Having that simple stability helped get me focused before the instruction time began. I was ready to start when she finished taking role. Other classes, in contrast, were always chaotic and it was much harder for me to want to focus because I would just hope that the class would distract our teacher enough so we would not need to accomplish as much. Those classes were the ones where there was no structure to our time and we had to wait for our teacher to tell us what to do every minute of the period. When I teach, I'm not sure I'll have a "good morning" routine, but I plan to have some sort of procedure for starting class so I can make the most of every teaching minute I have.

Reflection 1

The reading I have done in The First Days of School has opened my eyes much more to the preparation that goes on before the teacher even begins teaching. I always assumed that good teachers were given that gift and bad teachers simply were not. I knew there were some skills to be learned, but I did not realize just how many things teachers think about that students only recognize subconsciously.

In high school, I did give teachers different levels of respect based on the way they dressed or the way they had us address them. I found that the teachers who dressed more on the casual side were much easier for me to approach and ask questions about class or life in general. However, those were also the teachers I found myself making more smart remarks to and tried to challenge their authority more. I think there is a balance to be reached between over-dressed without being approachable, and under-dressed without maintaining good authority. When I am a teacher, I want to be able to look professional without looking or acting stuffy.

Teachers, according to this book, need to be proficient in practicing positive expectations, have good classroom management skills, and have their lessons mastered. In remembering my own experiences with teachers, the teachers I have learned the most from had all of these skills. They made me believe that they believed in me and thought I could succeed, knew how to maintain control in the classroom without being harsh, and knew the material they were covering.

A perfect example of this, is my middle school math teacher who is the one who first inspired me to become a teacher. She talked to me after I finished taking a test and asked me if I had learned what she was teaching before. She told me that I took the test almost as fast as she did and scored very well on it. That let me know how much she thought I was capable of. She also had avery unique way of organizing her homework. She set up three different homework assignments based on skill level. Those who were struggling and just wanted to pass the clas could do the C homework assignment and expect to get C's on the tests. Those who had a better handle on things could do the B homework assignment and expect to get B's on the tests. Those who wanted to be challenged and wanted to ace the class could do the A homework assignment and expect to get A's on the test as long as all of the homework was understood. I do not remember her discipline technique, but she was always in charge of the classroom and always had everyone's attention. She was also very wee-rehearsed in the math she was teaching. She knew how to explain the same problem in at least three different ways if students were having trouble understanding her first explaination. She is the type of teacher I want to be.