Oh what a class...

Classroom management is a topic that is important when considering the job of a teacher. Yet, when I watched the movie "Chalk" it was quite interesting the LACK of classroom management that was seen. Overall, I found the movie to be funny and depicted the lives of teachers in a comedic-over exaggerated-realistic way. One particular teacher, whom I believe anyone that watched the movie will remember, didn't seem to be aware of order in a classroom. From day one he was clearly unreceptive to proper body language and verbal language that should be portrayed in a classroom with students.

Looking into the future I can't help but fear that I will someday be lost in my own classroom, students throwing spit balls or threatening each other with switch blades. Granted, I don't know too many 1st graders that know what a switch blade is, but it still is a scary thought. Order is something that needs to be found in a classroom to make sure that the students are able to learn in a comfortable setting. Maslow created a hierarchy of needs and one that is important is safety needs. Creating an environment of a "family" helps students learn easier and even shows some that don't have good backgrounds how people should be treated.

Another teacher that had an interesting method in dealing with students was the hopeful "Teacher of the Year." I'm not gonna lie, at first I found him to be a pretty cool guy and seemed to connect well with the students. I can recall a teacher from my high school that was very similar to him, always trying to be the friend of the students. As the movie continued there came a scene where he holds two students after class is dismissed and procedes to tell them that they need to "tone down" their smartness because they are making him look bad. If that doesn't scream unethical I don't know what does. Last time I checked it was the teachers job to encourage students to do their best and push for excellence. It is important for teachers to have their students strive for excellence. Later on in the movie, the same teacher had a discussion with one of the smart students about his dropping grade. Could this poor grade possibly be due to the fact that his teacher told him to not try so hard and to not be "smarter" then his teacher.

Words of Wisdom

Recently I had the opportunity to listen to some words of wisdom from a professional in the education field. Starting off as an elementary education major, Mr. Chambliss went on to work as a teacher, special education coordinator, and even the superintendent for Decorah schools. One thing that he stressed in his presentation was that teachers should not stick to one content area while teaching. In fact, teachers should switch every 5 years or so. I found this to be very interesting and do agree with it to an extent. Teachers should definitely keep themselves changing things up, but as long as you are successfully doing your job of helping children learn, you shouldn't necessarily have to change your job.

In my future, I don't know what I see. It's so hard to sit down and plan out something that is so up in the air. I noticed after listening to Mr. Chambliss and our new teacher panel, it seems that your life will always take on different paths then what you originally plan. Who knows where I'll end up, but I do know that I will keep an open mind. Right now I plan on starting off in an area where I am unfamiliar, like inner city. I'm from the Minneapolis area, so I have a feeling that's where I might end up. I know that whereever I end up, things will only be as good as I make them.