The Roles of a Teacher

Teachers become very important figures in their students' lives. The "Teacher Roles During Language Arts Instruction" chart in our book illustrates just how heavily involved in the daily lives of their students. I feel like most of them such as Organizer and Facilitator are self-explanatory; but there are other roles that we often do not stop to think about. Some children rely on their teachers to get them through the day. Others think that school is just a waste of their precious time. Either way, it is our job to make them feel loved at school.
Being a role model is very important when taking on the profession. Children and parents watch your every move and they all expect you to be perfect. Almost like being the apple of their eyes. Demonstrating appropriate classroom behaviors and daily activities are vital. Most of the time children believe that their teachers are equivalent or just as important as their parents; so we have to set the bar and raise it often.
Looking over this chart made me aware of how important the many roles of a teacher are. It is our job to become involved in our classrooms and make it a safe environment. I cannot wait until the day that my students become the apple of my eyes.

How can you be a leader if you are not a contributor?

"In order to have an affect on someone else, you must first allow him to effect you." -Ralph Fletcher

I could write a book on this statement; for I feel that it has great significance behind the writing. When I heard this quote on the video about learning communities I automatically thought of all of the "teachable moments" that I have experienced so far as an education student. In order to have a great writing community, you must first recognize the areas in which the issues need work. How can you help a child in need if you are unaware of their needs? In this situation, I believe that observations are vital. Instead of being distant from your students when giving an assignment, I think observing and learning your students are a priority. Not only will it assist the students in becoming better writers, but it will also make a teacher's job a little easier.

As far as a teaching community is concerned, sharing ideas and skills with cooperating teachers are great ways to become an excellent educator. Teaching is constantly a learning process because there is always a more efficient and effective way to get things done. Colleagues can provide you with great advice and a helping hand. Having a great sense of a learning community can make the world of difference at the end of the day.

In my storybook, reading and writing are both worthy...

Writers are readers; and readers are writers. Simple as that. Whether you are writing for professional reasons or personal pleasure, it is all worth-while. I say that writers are readers because in order to write, you must know how to read. For example, while I am writing this blog post, I am carefully reading over what I am writing to ensure that it is grammatically correct and pleasant to the ear.

Reading and Writing share many stages that are similar to the eye. Readers organize their thoughts, generate ideas, explore the text, and revise; as well as writers. When readers respond to the text that they are reading, they become writers. They have to generate their thoughts and opinions on paper for others to view.

Writing is also worth reading because it allows you to share your insights on different ideas. Whether you enjoy reading to yourself or sharing with others, reading is a great way to reflect on thoughts and ideas. Sometimes you may see comparisons in your writing with someone else's; or you may learn to appreciate the differences you share. Writing also sparks discussions and dialogue between individuals. It is a great learning tool as well as a social tool.

I once was a "big" sister...

Thanks to my big brother, I remember my reading days very well. My mom was the type of mom that paid a lot of individual attention to reading. Every night before bathing time, my mom would have mini-reading conferences with my siblings and I. My brother was a very weak reader, therefore my mom always spent more time with him. She taught each one of us how to read learning phonics. Every day I would come home from school, mom would always have some new fantastic book or notebook of worksheets for us to attempt. Sometimes I even secretly wanted to destroy the notebooks because I just wanted to go outside and play with my friends. We even had videos with Barney reviewing phonics!

I mastered the skill of learning how to read first, and I thought it would give me a free ticket to go play outside. But I was wrong. Because I knew how to read, I was now responsible of helping my brother to master the skill. I spent hours and hours drawing pictures and sounding out letters to my big brother. I really felt bad for him because all of his friends already knew how to read, but he didn't. For once in my life, I felt like the "big" sister and that my brother needed me.

I guess phonics is responsible for my brother being my best friend now. My brother and I would always make games out of new words. Honestly, it was pretty exciting once my big brother started understanding the skill of reading. Phonics was also the beginning of my dreams of becoming an educator. When I tutored my brother, I would write on my chalkboard that I received for Christmas one year. I remember the feelings I used to get by writing on my chalkboard. It was the best present my parents could ever give me.

Phonics is the reason why I have the knowledge about learning new words today. Every time I come across a word I do not recognize, I sound all the letters out until they sound correct. I think phonics is a valuable thing when shaping the "experiences of reading" with a child. Children can relate to objects if they sound the same. When I am teaching international children new words I will definitely share my love of phonics with them, in hopes of it working the same magic it did when I was a proud 4 year old.