More Hope

The conclusion of the movie "Chalk" was really interesting.  When watching the movie again, I realized that it seemed as if they were portraying teachers as being stupid, or incompetent.  I think this is a very untrue view.  However, as I watched further and saw the end of this movie, I realized that these teachers had shown so much growth throughout this first year at the school.   The first year history teacher was able to loosen up and involve his students in the classroom.  He even came up with the idea of the Hornet's spelling bee for the teachers. 

This idea is what interests me so much in teaching.  How can we, as teachers, connect with students? There are subjects that each student can excel in, and it is our job to spark and guide that interest.  I think that the new history teacher would have learned and loved teaching more if he had started out the year in a good way.  Learning from mistakes and experiences is the most valuable way to learn. 

If I can go into a teaching situation and help at least one student I will feel successful. However, my goal is to help many more than one.  I just want to help kids find something they love, and give them something to look forward too.  It will be a tough road to follow, but I feel like after watching this movie, I have more hope for my future as a teacher.

"The Office" For Teachers!

The movie Chalk definitely does seem like The Office for teachers! It is an overview of a school year for a few teachers in a school. After watching the first half of this movie, I think it is very obvious that this is not 'reality tv' but instead a scripted movie about the flaws in our education system.

Most of the teachers in this movie do not have great teaching skills. Although the movie does only focus on the lives of the teachers and not much on how they are teaching, I think this fact enhances the thoughts that teachers are too concerned with their own issues. In real life I do not always believe that is true, but in this movie it is. There is a first year History teacher who has no skills with classroom management yet. His students are disrespectful and make fun of him all the time. As a potential teacher this is probably the biggest nightmare. How do you control a classroom? How does your appearance affect your students perception of you? How do you change their thoughts and actions? This history teacher is a great example of someone who is struggling to gain control in the classroom.

Another history teacher, a third year, has taken the opposite approach; he is very friendly with the kids, because he wants to become teacher of the year. I think this is also a good example of something to learn from as a new teacher. Being students friends is not a good way to make sure they are learning.

As I'm talking about focusing too much on the teachers, they are all I'm writing about. But throughout the movie so far I realize that the students in this school do not seem stupid. They do not lack the ability to learn and grow, they just simply are taking the easy road through school because their teachers are letting them. I think these students could be doing very well if they had the right instruction. These teachers are experts in their fields of knowledge, and should be trying to help the students learn and become excited about different parts of the world. I'm excited to see the conclusion of this movie, and how these teachers change.

What do you believe?

I just watched a movie entitled "Believe in your students" from the Luther College Education Psychology website. This video made me think, do teachers believe in their students any longer? Do teachers want their students to achieve? Or are teachers too concerned with legislation like No Child Left Behind which mandates tests and scores? I think that believing and trusting in students has been forgotten. The children in this country are not stupid. In fact I would say most of them are very intelligent. So why are students not achieving in schools?

In response to the question posted on the Ed. Psych blog, I think that some students are not trusted in classrooms today because they act up, or speak out of turn. But isn't that the beauty of life? Not everyone is the same. It is important as teachers to pay attention to each child, and learn about them. This ties in to exactly what chapter 7 in our text discusses.

Chapter 7 describes learning as a relatively permanent influence on behavior. I agree with this, but it is how one learns that is important. At our meeting last night we spoke with Steve Chambliss, a retired teacher, counselor and superintendent. His advice was worth listening to. After some solid teaching it is important to get more education. Also, he suggested to try to push the limits of your comfort zone. This will help to improve your self-efficacy. Prove to yourself you can do something, and you will become a better teacher. As teachers we need to explore different ways of teaching: from operant conditioning to classical conditioning there are many ways to help students, and ourselves, learn. But learning cannot happen without trust. If we can apply ourselves, learn to believe in our students, and push our comfort zones so we can learn and experience more, I believe we have a great chance at becoming great teachers.