Blog Post #9

"What I've Learned This Year" by Mr. McClung
This has to be one of my favorite posts this year. Mr. McClung is reflecting on his first year as a teacher and he talks about what he expected coming from a new college student to a full time elementary school teacher. He really gives insight on the realness of being in front of the students and how it was everything that he never expected. He gives advice for new teachers so that hopefully they can avoid some the stress that being a new teacher can cause. His advice includes the following: 1. How to Read the Crowd- which he means that being effective is making sure the students comprehend the material. 2. Be Flexible- be prepared for anything because a perfectly prepared lesson plan can still go wrong. “NO LESSON IS EVER PERFECT. THE LESSON YOU TEACH AND THE ONE YOU PLAN ARE ALWAYS DIFFERENT.” 3. Communicate- with the students and other teachers 4. Be Reasonable- Often we build our expectations too high for students, and become upset when they do not meet the expectation. 5. Don't be Afraid of Technology- use it because it is our friend 6. Listen to Your Students- because you may be the only person that does. 7. Lastly, Never Stop Learning-It's never too late to change your way of thinking, learning, or style. He gives very good insight on how teachers should approach their first year. I liked reading this because I felt like he was right on with his advice.