C4T#3

Post #1: March 26, 2015

 

Thankful

 

 

Teaching is a unique profession that those not in education often do not fully understand. People ask me all the time, "Why are you a teacher?" Each day I have a different answer to that question based on an experience from the day. I am a teacher and I am thankful.  Maddie, a former student, wrote a beautiful essay about me and I earned the honor of B93.3's Teacher of the Month Award. This month was filled with compliments, stories and memories about the award, my students, and my profession. I always teach my students the importance of reflecting on struggle, growth and celebrating success. I have had more than my share that led me to this point of overwhelming gratitude. I am especially thankful for my students, my family, and my professional growth.

I am incredibly thankful for my students over my twenty years of teaching.  The relationships I have built with them will be remembered for a lifetime. I treasure all the notes, visits, and updates from my former and current students. I have discovered that being a Language Arts teacher is a special gift because you are able to learn more about students through their writing, blogging and one on one conferences. My 6th grade students have always mentored younger students with writing and technology.  When I moved to Pewaukee School District, a few of my former Merton students who were experienced bloggers mentored my new 6th grade students and continue to comment on our blogs.  They are dedicated writers and mentors, and wanted to share their experience with younger students because they knew they could teach their skills to others.  I am so proud of them.  They were willing to do this for students they didn't even know at a different school.

I have also discovered that my students are the ones who help me stay the course when my life seems upside down personally or professionally.  My classroom is always a place I feel at home and accepted.  I hope my students feel that way too.  It was a hard decision for me to leave Merton after 19 years, and I wasn't sure how my students would take the news.  They understood and respected my decision and said all the right things. Students seem to find the solutions to problems that adults find complicated.  I love that about them. They take risks, innovate, collaborate, talk, smile, laugh, cry, create, fail, try again, write, all with me throughout the day.  Why am I a teacher? I am a teacher because of my students and I am so thankful for the time I get to spend with them.

Teaching is a profession that takes an enormous amount of time and dedication. You need a family that supports and understands your level of commitment to your career, but also find a balance between work and home.  I am so thankful for my husband, Chris,  who is my biggest supporter and holds our family together. He does this along with his professional role of Middle School Principal.  We have two amazing boys, 9 and 2, so our schedules are crazy.  I am grateful that he values my role as a teacher just as much as his role as a principal. We are equals, personally and professionally. The time he spends with our boys allows me to work on my professional passions. Chris is not only a great leader at work, but also at home.  I am so thankful our boys have a role model like him.

I am thankful to be selected Teacher of the Month in November for personal reasons as well as professional. 10 years ago, my mom passed away in November. She was also a teacher who made a difference in the lives of many middle school students in West Bend, WI.  Her birthday was also in November. Being raised by two dedicated educators, and now following that tradition with my own family, I am filled with pride. Why am I a teacher? I am a teacher because I have a family that supports me and has taught me the importance of education. I will always be a lifelong learner, and I hope that our boys will value education as much as my husband and I do.

Professional growth and change is something I always considered a necessity in education.  Not everyone agrees with me, but when we consider the fact that our world is ever changing, we need to look at our practices as educators and realize that professional growth and change should be ongoing.  This year I am thankful for the Pewaukee School District because they believe in professional growth and change. I have found a wonderful home at Horizon Elementary School.  My new leaders, Pete Gull and Jodi Swanson, start our staff meetings with "appreciations" for each other.  I leave our meetings with all I need to know about standards-based grading and SLO's, but I also feel thankful knowing more about my colleagues and all the great things they are doing.  I miss all my teacher friends I left after 19 years at Merton, but was welcomed by new friends at Horizon. Change is scary because it seems unknown, but if you are in a position where you are no longer growing, it's time to move on.  I am so thankful I did.  Teaching is the ultimate opportunity for professional growth and an opportunity to follow your passions.  Why am I a teacher?  I am a teacher because I believe in the power of learning and growth.

As teachers, we all have days and lessons that don't go well.  We have students who don't like us. We have parents who disagree with a decision we made. I admit that I am one of those teachers who take those criticisms to heart. I wish I could "Shake It Off" like Taylor Swift advises me to do in such a wonderful sing song way, but instead I obsess over it. I want to be the best teacher I can, and any criticism is hard to hear. That is why I wanted to write this today.  To remind myself how lucky I was to be recognized by Maddie in November of 2014, along with all the other letters, cards and emails I have received over the years.  As educators we should be thankful to everyone who supports us, celebrate, remember all our hard work, and do our best to shake off the occasional criticism.




My Comment:

Patrick RoaneMarch 26, 2015 at 1:53 PM

Mrs. Reuter,
I am Patrick Roane and I am a student at the University of Alabama where I am studying secondary education. I really enjoyed reading this blog post. I loved how you talked how you still jeep in touch with former students or vice versa. It really shows the impact that this profession can have on people. I also enjoyed the part were you say your students are the reason that helps you keep going. We obviously don't do this for the money and you seem to show the real reason why people choose to become educators.

Post #2
Revolutions and Encouragements, Can they Co-Exist


After recording a good old fashioned podcast a couple weeks ago, I felt inclined to post a blog post in response to another post. Just like old days.

So Will Richardson references a tweet by George Couros questioning the dichotomy between acknowledging the good work of teachers and fighting for a revolutionary change in education. As someone who has argued both sides I thought I’d share how I deal with this.

People like myself and Will and George speak to a lot of teachers and I’m continually surprised at how many have not fully realized the impact and potential of technology for learning and, in particular, its disruptive nature. Then again, I sometimes forget that I have had the privilege of thinking and learning about this almost exclusively for 15 or so years. Will is a master at laying out the potential of modern learning and the problems with our current system. I’ve learned a great deal from him over the years and he continues to push my thinking and others. He’s a <insert adjective> disturber.  He’s also very respectful to teachers. But he’s been challenging people to wake up.

Of late, I’ve taken a slightly different approach with teachers. While trying to point out how things might be different, I’ve also tried to work with a strength-based approach. Since I began teaching over 25 years ago, teachers have been asked to change. Long before the conversation around technology, many districts/provinces/states have been sending the unintended message to teachers that “you’re doing it wrong” If you hear this enough, you’ll get your guard up. Most teachers I deal with can relate to this at some level. I’m trying to stop that kind of sentiment and instead have teachers reflect on what they do that works. I also suggest this needs to be shared in open, public spaces.

I couple this message with the belief that the biggest change comes in the role of the teacher. No longer should teacher and instructor be synonymous but as Phil Schlecty suggests teachers take on as their primary role, designer, and guide. This is where it begins to get uncomfortable for some. My belief is that relationships with students matter more now than ever. Technology is enabling them to focus more on the individual and the human connection becomes critical. The thing is, there are many teachers and a few schools that are already doing this well. They aren’t in need of a revolution but rather more support and encouragement.

 

Could our education use an overhaul? Do we need to rethink grading, groupings, assessment, etc? Yes. Currently, this is more of a political issue than a classroom issue. It’s easier to change a classroom and for me, that’s what I’m focusing on.

I still want Will to push for big changes. I don’t think it demeans teachers. But teachers are a bit gun shy and I think we need them to keep doing what’s working, share that and shift to more focus on relationships and individuals. I’m not suggesting my approach is the right one but I also think we need more than one approach.

My Comment:

Patrick Roane • a few seconds ago

Hi Dean,
I am Patrick Roane and I am a secondary education major at the University of South Alabama. I agree that technology should be implemented into more and more classrooms as it does make teaching easier and allows for students to have more freedom in their studies in order for it tot feel more personal. I also agree that many teachers "stuck in their ways" they are confident that their methods and resources are the best way for their students to learn. As I am currently learning in my EDM 310 class. The methods used by teachers even just 5 years ago are out of date and need to change in order for our students to learn.