I was tagged by Janice Stearns to post a few of my beliefs in education.
I believe…
that technology is not just for the gifted kids.
that all students are gifted, it’s just that some are gifted in ways we haven’t discovered yet.
all students can learn if only we could find a way to teach them.
that parental support is a bonus and the lack of it is not an excuse for not teaching students.
teachers can smile and still maintain “control” of a classroom.
that students rise to your expectations when those expectations are clear.
Excellent! And I’ve found that teachers who smile have more “control” in their classrooms than the frownie/negative/demeaning ones have in theirs.
Matt
This one hit me: “that all students are gifted, it’s just that some are gifted in ways we haven’t discovered yet”
Most likely, this comes from expecting our students to have our experiences, and that is not always the case. Sometimes, a teacher needs to stretch in order for the student to shine.
Adios
Kevin
Such great thoughts! I totally agree with you.
@Michaele, Aside from having more “control” smiling releases endorphins in the teacher’s brain and makes the teacher happier. I wouldn’t want to go to work and be miserable all day. Even if things are going badly I need to be happy.
@Kevin, I think you’re right. Most teachers were good students and we expect our students to be like us when actually most school work involves only a limited number of skills. Thinking of the skills involved in your claymation projects, for example, without doing those projects there are so many talents involved that a more traditional teacher would never find without innovating.
@Ingrid,
Booyah! Thanks for reading.
T?n? koe Mathew
I’m a firm believer in the saying “when the student is ready the master appears”.
You’re right. There is genius in every student.
Ka kite
from Middle-earth
Mathew, I definitely agree with the statement that every student is gifted. Because of the population that I work with (special ed.), some automatically assume that they’re not good at anything. That is when I have to be the mouthpiece for my students and play up the good things about them.
One of my students, who just learned to read in the 3rd grade, is an excellent artist. Everyone is always impressed with his artwork.
Thank you for saying that!
-Leila-
Mathew,
I couldn’t agree more with what you have said. I’d like to specifically comment on
“that technology is not just for the gifted kids”- My students have asked me on numerous occasions “why do the gifted kids get to do all the cool stuff”. The kids notice. This year because we had a class blog and thanks to all the stuff people shared on line, we did some exciting in class with technology that helped the Kids develop skills for life after high school.