Valentine's Day Post

"What I've Learned This Year"
Mr. McClung's blog post was very helpful for future and present teachers. We really have no idea what to expect as future educators until we are actually in the position. I like the tips that he has given us to follow before we get into the classroom. Some of the tips seem very simple and seem like common sense but I think we too often forget about the simple things. All these things are very important and vital for running a classroom. I like that Mr. McClung realizes that you have pay attention to your classroom and teach for each class individually. You can't be completely focused on what you are teaching but on what the students are learning.

He states that you must be flexible and know that all of your lessons are going to be perfect. Sometimes they will go smoothly like you planned and sometimes they wont. I think that this is great for him to say because we do want things to go perfectly but we need to be realistic and know that they won't always. Keeping communication open and being involved with the other staff members is very important. As educators we should have high expectations for our students but our reaction if they don't achieve what we expect must be positive. We must reinforce that they try again and they are not a failure for now achieving the goal we have set.

His advice is really great. I like that he encourages us to use technology and not be afraid to learn how to use it. We need to learn so that we can educate our students even more. One of the most important things that he says are the last two points. We must listen to our students. These children must be heard. Some of them have no one that will listen to them and we need to be that person. We can't love them and teach them like they deserve if we don't even know them. I desire to know my children well and learn what I can do to teach them to the best of my ability. Mr. McClung also says that we should continue to learn!!! Sooooo true. We must desire to learn like we desire for our children to learn. To be a teacher, I think, you must have a passion to learn. :)

Wikipedia
I have actually read about the unreliable source that wikipedia can be prior to this blog assignment. I cannot remember where I read about this issue but I know it was about 2 years ago that I heard of it. The scanner is a pretty cool invention though. I love that not only can you see that the entries have been tampered with but you can also see who tampered with them. It is amazing to me that huge corporations would be deceitful and change information on wikipedia themselves.
Personally, I don't find it a reliable source at all. The fact that anyone can edit or change the information is proof that it is not a trusted source. I have actually watched a friend of mine edit some information on wikipedia. Since my freshmen year at South I have been told never to use wikipedia for any research reports or papers that I had to turn in to my professors. There are so many other sites that are reliable and I think that we should just use those. :)