Mentoring: An Educators Job Beyond the Classroom

                When you were younger, did you wish you had a positive role model in your life outside of family? Someone you could discuss anything with and not have to worry about ones judgments? Well, I did!

 I always wished I had someone who could help me with difficult homework assignments when my mother didn’t always know the answers. I dreamed of a relationship with someone I could call my sister, who wasn’t my sister biologically. Throughout the African- American community there has been a rise in the number of single families and broken homes. Many children who come from these types of families usually do not have a positive role model in his or her life. Because the single parent is forced to take on the responsibility that should be handled by two adults, some parents do not find the time to bond with their children.  As a future educator, I feel that it is my job to help students reach their highest potential even before I reach the classroom. Mentoring programs have had a positive effect on not only the children who participate in them, but also the mentors.

                Mentoring programs have been proven to be successful in low-income environments and also for at-risk youth. Spending just an hour out of a week with mentee’s can have positive effects. An educators success should be proven both inside and outside of the classroom, becoming a mentor is a great way to broadcast your skills.

Here is an article on the effects of mentoring on at- risk youth: http://bit.ly/eT2Erc

Observations: A Hands-On Learning Experience

Throughout the months of October and November, I have had the opportunity to observe in a pre- kindergarten classroom. During my five observations at ATTAS Daycare Center, I have acquired an even greater love for children. The observation hours have motivated me and inspired me to complete school so that I can have a positive impact on the lives of children. Observing introduced me to hands on experience that I will need to prepare myself for entering the classroom.

            The pre- kindergarten classroom gave me an idea on how to organize learning centers and it also made me realize how important learning centers are in an early childhood classroom. Being able to witness firsthand the effects of learning centers shows me how important they are to have in every early childhood class. This also gave me an idea on what types of centers to include in my classroom and also what to include in each center.

I also learned that it is very important to have a relationship with the parents of your students. It is very important to have a relationship because it gives parents the opportunity to be more open and trusting towards the teacher. This has shown me how important it is to build a relationship with not only each individual child, but also his or her parents. Both the teacher and the parents play a very important role in the child’s life, therefore it is very important that they establish a relationship for the success of the child.

Image from capl@washjeff.edu under a Creative Commons 3.0 US License

http://capl.washjeff.edu/browseresults.php?langID=1&photoID=1971&size=l

An Excerpt from My Philosophy of Teaching

My philosophy of teaching comes down to three main points, passion, dedication and understanding. According to Webster’s dictionary, passion is a strong like or desire for, or devotion to some activity, object, or concept.  As a teacher, you must have a passion and love for children of all ages. You must have a desire for enhancing students’ higher order thinking and pushing them to perform at their greatest ability. As teaching becomes one of the most controversial careers, being passionate about teaching is crucial. I believe that teaching is one of the most important careers in the world.

As teachers we have the world in our hands. We are responsible for not only teaching, but creating smart, strong and independent leaders. We must have an understanding of not only our field, but also an understanding of each individual child that enters our classroom. Teaching revolves around having an understanding that each child comes from a different household and environment; therefore the curriculum used should be altered and adjusted to fit the needs of each child.

Here is a link that will aid in the development of a great philosophy: http://bit.ly/cGPyJ1

Using Signals in the Classroom

The use of classroom signals is very important in classroom management. Signals help create a controlled and organized work environment for both the teacher and the students in the classroom. Nonverbal signals are a great way to recapture your student’s attention when conversations or noise levels get too loud in the classroom. When trying to get the children’s attention in a noisy classroom, yelling often enhances the noise. Nonverbal signals can also help the teacher get control of the classroom by addressing the student’s needs. The teacher can create and explain signals for using the restroom, sharpening a pencil, or even for answering a question. This can eliminate issues during instructional periods. Verbal signals can also be used to catch the attention of the students. Verbal signals such as a song can be very helpful in primary grades. Songs can be used to express that a certain task needs to be completed, such as, cleaning up or lining up.  Signals are very important to manage, control and organize a classroom.