Kumar Chapter 1

The first thing that caught my eye in chapter one, Conceptualizing Teaching Acts, was the quote below the title. The quote by Larry Cuban stated, "To teach is to be full of hope." After reading, I felt that the quote was very appropriate after reading the various definitions of a teacher and all of the different components that go into the career of teaching. 

Many of us are waiting to come out of college with a teaching certificate from the state. Kumar states, "...learning to teach does not end with obtaining a diploma or a degree in teacher education but is an ongoing process throughout one's teaching career." This made me realize that my original thoughts were that after college I am going to know everything I need to know to have my own classroom and be a successful teacher. The fact that being a teacher includes much more than the average person sees or thinks. As we begin our teaching careers, we will continue to develop and reflect on classroom-oriented research and problem-solving activities. Kumar mentions that this role of teachers is known as reflective practicioners. The other two roles are passive technicians and transformative intellectuals.  

I found it interesting that the descriptions for the role of a teacher were limited to three main titles. I agree with Kumar that it is difficult to precisely pin down the role of a teacher because our roles are endless. We will be whatever we need to be in whatever situation to faciliate our classroom and educate our students. Although each part of the role included in-depth descriptions of what a teacher does and will have to do thoughout their careers, I feel that the role of a teacher goes beyond what was stated in Kumar. I believe that the roles didn't always acknolwedge the extreme importance and influence that a teacher can have in the classroom. I also believe that true teaching comes from building a relationships with students and working together to lead the classroom. With that bond, a hope for making a difference in the world and in children's lives will be made possible. Going back to the quote at the beginning of my post, I understand that to teach is to be full of hope. Full of hope to become the best teacher you can be, full of hope to make an impact in the lives of students and full of hope to be a part of the history of education that will help the field to grow and move in the right direction. 

Brown Chapters 1-2

After looking through chapter one, I realized how much choice the teacher has and the adaptions that we will be making in the classroom to accomodate all of the students. Ms. Lee's lesson plan was described as a good lesson and at the same time raised the question of are lesson plans ever perfect? I feel that as a future educator we need to make sure that we continue to try new things and realize that maybe there are not perfect lessons. It was interesting to see what a typical lanaguge lesson looked like. It's exciting to know that in a short time, we will have our own classrooms. 

The second chapter by Brown gave us a good idea of the pedagogic methods that are being used. I noticed that many students were raising the question of what is the most effective method of teaching. Personally, I think that there is not one perfect way to teach a lesson. We have to keep in mind that every student learns differently and what may work for one student may not be working for another student. Teachers are unique in the fact that they have their own teaching ways and mannerisms. I think that becoming familiar with pedagogic methods that can get us on our feet for teaching in our own classrooms will be very important. As we begin to develop our own teaching methods, it is important for us to try these things first hand in the classroom. As we begin to develop our own teaching persona, the more observations and methods that we learn about the easier it will be to avoid making mistakes or trying something that has been proven not to work.

How do we go about choosing a pedagogic method, or do we have to choose? I would like to see an multi incorporated method of teaching. 

Introduction

My name is Lisa Fraticola. I am a Secondary Spanish Education Major. My Minor is TESOL. I am currently enrolled in both ENG 345 and 346 as well as the Practicum. I plan on completing all of my hours this semester.

The ideal age group for me would be middle age students. I hope to teach in a suburban setting near my house. 

I am very excited to teach English, especially to speakers of the Spanish language. Maybe I will even work abroad and go back to Spain!