Okay- my biggest problem as it relates to imagineIT is finding the time needed to complete these assignments…;-)
My biggest problem as it relates to “The Dreamkeepers” is that successful teachers don’t always fall into their mold of what a culturally relevant teacher is. I do not look at myself as some sort of “artist”, waving my magic paintbrush and creating academic works of art. In fact, I identify more with the Assimilationist teacher in my conceptions of self and others. I will probably never be the teacher that invites students to my house for a BBQ; as luck would have it, one of my teammates is that very teacher, so by making a quick appearance at her event, I get the recognition without having to commit to too much. Part of that is because I have a busy life outside of work, with a wife, and 2 kids. (and one on the way!) Part of that is because after teaching kids for 5 days a week, 7 hours a day, I need a break. There are many more culturally relevant things that I don’t do- too many to list in this space. But I am a very effective teacher...Why? I’m honestly not sure, but I have my suspicions…!
I take time to get to know my students, and more importantly, I share countless stories about me. Not all of the stories are successful ones, in fact- I want my students to understand that I’ve made many mistakes. If something good happens over the weekend, I make sure to share it with the students, and I take the time to hear what they think. I go out of my way to be a little goofy in class: while they work, I might suddenly break into a dance or song of some sort- just to keep them wondering what will happen next. I listen to them- they may not always like my responses, but they know that I will always be fair, and they know that I have their backs. I make it a point to be their biggest cheerleader when they need it, and chew them out when they aren’t meeting my expectations. As “DreemKeepers” says on page 136, for me, “Good teaching starts with good relationships”. Finally, I try new things- as much as possible. That’s what attracted me to UrbanSTEM. I’m unafraid to try something, see if anything sticks, and adapt successful parts to my teaching. I’m already doing this with my imagineIT idea!
So- aside of this being too long, I’m not really sure what problems from this book will affect me as I implement my imagineIT idea, but to be sure, as I encounter them, I will take what works, and leave behind what doesn’t, and keep on trying!
My biggest problem as it relates to “The Dreamkeepers” is that successful teachers don’t always fall into their mold of what a culturally relevant teacher is. I do not look at myself as some sort of “artist”, waving my magic paintbrush and creating academic works of art. In fact, I identify more with the Assimilationist teacher in my conceptions of self and others. I will probably never be the teacher that invites students to my house for a BBQ; as luck would have it, one of my teammates is that very teacher, so by making a quick appearance at her event, I get the recognition without having to commit to too much. Part of that is because I have a busy life outside of work, with a wife, and 2 kids. (and one on the way!) Part of that is because after teaching kids for 5 days a week, 7 hours a day, I need a break. There are many more culturally relevant things that I don’t do- too many to list in this space. But I am a very effective teacher...Why? I’m honestly not sure, but I have my suspicions…!
I take time to get to know my students, and more importantly, I share countless stories about me. Not all of the stories are successful ones, in fact- I want my students to understand that I’ve made many mistakes. If something good happens over the weekend, I make sure to share it with the students, and I take the time to hear what they think. I go out of my way to be a little goofy in class: while they work, I might suddenly break into a dance or song of some sort- just to keep them wondering what will happen next. I listen to them- they may not always like my responses, but they know that I will always be fair, and they know that I have their backs. I make it a point to be their biggest cheerleader when they need it, and chew them out when they aren’t meeting my expectations. As “DreemKeepers” says on page 136, for me, “Good teaching starts with good relationships”. Finally, I try new things- as much as possible. That’s what attracted me to UrbanSTEM. I’m unafraid to try something, see if anything sticks, and adapt successful parts to my teaching. I’m already doing this with my imagineIT idea!
So- aside of this being too long, I’m not really sure what problems from this book will affect me as I implement my imagineIT idea, but to be sure, as I encounter them, I will take what works, and leave behind what doesn’t, and keep on trying!
