My experience in this course reminds me
of the importance of passion and humanity. It was so amazing to see
the amount of effort and skill with which Dr. Giddens directed the
class and our intern experience. The level of intellect, caring,
humanity, and leadership was impressive and almost overwhelming.
With each correspondence you could tell that he was as sincere, as he
was concerned, as he was competent about Instructional Technology. I
truly hope to have his level of understanding and patience as a
teacher. Honestly, I have lost some of that, and I am very intently
looking forward to recharging and getting that back this Christmas
Break.
My Principal and I talked today about
the power of perception and the importance of being affable and
accommodating; its affect on the parents, as well as the students.
This reminds me of the Art of War by Sun Tzu, who says that a
Commander beloved by his men, can punish them without fear of
bitterness or a drop in morale, unlike a 'harsh and hard' Commander.
On the contrary, the beloved Commander is respected all the more by
his men, because his discipline is perceived as from a loving Father
to a son, not as judgment and punishment given by a Superior. The
relevance to school is that students and parents who truly understand
that his/her leader/teacher sincerely cares for and is concerned with
the well-being and final destination of youth will understand and
forgive any shortcomings or problems that arise from my class,
assigning unpleasantries to love and not malice.
That said, it is all too important that
I trust in the effort that my students put forth and also encourage
honesty and trust, which will make sure that they feel comfortable
with being honest with their teachers. In these days of economic
woe, the ensuing pressures placed on families, the resulting time
lost due to extra hours on the job, and/or the need to drop out and
work make academics an often back burner priority, as is the
possibility of adults helping, guiding/mentoring the young.
Therefore, a teacher, especially at this time, must understand and
see developing and learning human beings in his/her apprenticeship,
instead of fully-developed and responsible students with unbridled
passion for learning. Whereas it would be great if every student
were aflame with our content area desire, we must remember always to
be realistic idealists.
In regards to the other trait, passion,
I hope to exhibit the same level of intensity and desire for learning
that Dr. Giddens exemplified every day. I was very much so
continually impressed by him, particularly, his diction. With each
communication, I learned more and more about his consideration for
his students and firm grasp and thorough understanding of the
content. I truly appreciate the time with him and the example he
set.
Moving onward, I hope that I will find
exactly my niche inside of instructional technology that works for
me. Whereas I love to help kids do better, I am struggling inside
the classroom, because of their general lack of effort. Sometimes it
is sad, because their circumstances are quite horrible. For others,
it is their comeuppance, if they are honest with themselves. What
would be ideal, I guess, would be to work as you and Dr. Giddens are
doing, preparing other teachers who are going to bless so many
countless others through teaching. I want to and need to teach
college/online, so that I can finally be able to fully challenge not
only my own mind, but that of others as well.
I will begin sniffing around more
intently now that this, my final course to become a certified teacher
is complete and that I will be only 3 courses away from completing my
Specialist's degree. I must say that it feels so good to be nearing
the end, because I have been through a lot in these past few years
and the journey/progress is rather amazing. But not because of me,
because of the experiences, the examples I've set for others, and how
I have learned to depend and believe in the goodness of others,
instead of always looking toward my own. I do want to help others,
but at the same time, I want to also be happy and find peace of mind.
I assume that I would teach at least two more years at my current
school, so that I can get the $17,500 off my student loans. Then,
depending on the calculations, I may continue to teach for 10 years
or not. Either way, I know that my future will be bright and
blessed, so long as I continue to do my best. Whatever it is, I need
to hurry up, because I am getting married in March, and I hear that
Doctoral degrees and kids, particularly babies, are like oil and
water and do not get along well. No we are not expecting, but we do
expect to be expecting in a couple years.
Anyway, to everyone here and everyone
every where, God bless and peace to you. May your goals be realized
and may you appreciate success, like you always hoped you would, in
grace and respect.
Happy Teaching!!! :-)
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