As promised in my Week 3 Blog Reflection, I returned to Vicki Davis‘ blog to learn more about becoming the best teacher I possibly can. As I looked through some of her more recent blogs I found a couple themes in her writing. One – take time for you and respect yourself, talents, and time. Two – make connections. Both of these themes fit into my previous analysis of the Cool Cat Teacher blog – being the best teacher and person you can be.
In the blog, Why I hired a brand manager, Vicki delves deeply into how and why her time is important to her. This blog is not focus on education tips per say but it gives the reader an insightful reflection Vicki came to as a teacher-influencer. I applaud her for sharing such honest revelations that might make her feel “out there” to the world of the Internet. The Internet is not always such a kind place. What I took away from this blog was to make sure I am taking time for me in order to be the best me/teacher/wife/volunteer I can be. If I am letting clutter and busy rule my life instead of managing my activities and items, I can’t be focused on teaching. Vicki has chosen to reorganize her life and put the focus on what she deems important. As a future teacher, deem what is most important to me and organize my time efficiently to reflect where I put my effort.
Image from http://www.coolcatteacher.com/some-teachers-get-frustrated-trying-to-reach-kids-this-teacher-has-the-answer/
In 4 Tips to Develop Great Teacher Leaders, A behind-the-scenes look at what educators like, and Some teachers get frustrated trying to reach their kids. This teacher has the answer. the blogs reflection connection. Connection to material is important but connection to the human beings sitting in your classroom is more important. Vicki discusses what the top shared materials were from her twitter account. She also cautions that just because she or anyone gets a retweet doesn’t mean the material she shared is making a difference but “click-through rate” can begin to reflect interaction that people are having with the material. Again, it seems that connections and interactions with people are important more so than the items between people. This idea resounds in the Some teachers get frustrated trying to reach their kids. This teacher has the answer. blog. Teaching tools are great but they don’t replace human connection. She cites the American Pyschological Association and studies that dicuss the importance of teaching the human instead of the content.
“Positive teacher-student relationships — evidenced by teachers’ reports of low conflict, a high degree of closeness and support, and little dependency — have been shown to support students’ adjustment to school, contribute to their social skills, promote academic performance and foster students’ resiliency in academic performance (Battistich, Schaps, & Wilson, 2004; Birch & Ladd, 1997; Curby, Rimm-Kaufman, & Ponitz, 2009; Ewing & Taylor, 2009; Hamre & Pianta, 2001; Rudasill, Reio, Stipanovic, & Taylor, 2010).
Teachers who experience close relationships with students reported that their students were less likely to avoid school, appeared more self-directed, more cooperative and more engaged in learning (Birch & Ladd, 1997; Decker, Dona, & Christenson, 2007; Klem & Connell, 2004).”
In my education classes, all my classmates have shared the idea that we want to touch students’ lives. I believe that Vicki wrote this blog about being frustrated as a teacher because sometimes it is easy to forget that students are human beings amidst the slew of other responsibilities we have. She also
Image from http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1629500046/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1629500046&linkCode=as2&tag=httpwwwbrighc-20&linkId=RVVZQOXUROHS7DKP
shares a resource to help teachers who struggle to connect. You’ve Gotta Connect: Building Relationships That Lead to Engaged Students, Productive Classrooms, and Higher Achievement by James Alan Sturtevant (a 30 year veteran teacher) is a book that I am looking forward to reading. Mr. Sturtevant firmly believes that education is a people business. I will strive to keep that in mind and attempt to read his book before I student teach.
Well done, Mrs. Davis! I left your blog and this reflection feeling refreshed and recharged to be an educator for a second time! Thank you for sharing your passion for education with the world.