An informal learning community for educators worldwide. Our passion for learning and connected learning experiences help us to improve our teaching practices. #txeduchat features guest moderators every week.
Hello educhatters! I'm Caty and I'm a secondary literacy coach in the DFW area. Chatting from my couch; Celebrity Big Brother just started this week and it's my guilty pleasure! #txeduchat
Hey #txeduchat Jessica Rogers (half of https://t.co/NcL8aDjaoa) from Central Texas. I write curriculum for Study Sync, a lecturer at Baylor, and an International Education Consultant.
That we recognize so much of today's classroom in this painting implies that we have a lot of room to adopt to newer opportunities and needs. Then again that the idiom has survived for so long implies that it provides a strong value. https://t.co/ST40eb3Fop#TxEduChat
A1: I was a baby teacher in 2009. Technology has changed, that's for sure! What was considered "best practice" has most definitely evolved...my teaching team told me not to smile the first six weeks! #txeduchat
A2: My teaching career, from start to finish, involved hearing the statements "Kids these days" and "This group is the worst group" in both elementary and secondary. I have experienced nostalgia of administration and curriculum as well. #txeduchat
A2: I hate to say that I've uttered nostalgic phrases regarding particular groups being "more difficult" than the previous year. Oh, and don't forget the cell phones #txeduchat
A3 Perhaps a sense of inertia in that things should follow from what you were taught. So while change is accepted - it is often a limited step rather than a significant course change. #TxEduChat
A3: I think that teaching is already difficult. It is often hard to be positive amidst administrative changes, legislation, funding, etc. When we place blame on the students for our feelings, we roadblock relationships and often can't find a way to move forward #txeduchat
I love @cultofpedagogy blog on this topic. She talks about the fact that it is okay to honestly acknowledge what is hard, but to embrace what's within our control and direct our frustrations away from students #txeduchat
A4: We can't build trust, rapport, and safe culture within our classroom if we are internally blaming our students for our frustrations. We have to find a way to give those feelings space in a different way, and to approach each student with fresh eyes/heart frequently #txeduchat
A4: There are so many things I'm not good at...but being honest and vulnerable with students was always the most important piece of the puzzle. If I can't do that, how will they trust me when they are asked to do challenging, risky things? #txeduchat
Any former students want to weigh in on this? @nsutherland2000@transvriska@bales_99 can you tell when teachers don't like you? Have you ever felt a teacher was angry about his/her job and took it out on you the student? "Kids these days...."? (no names) #txeduchat
A5: As a literacy person, I see this a lot when working with teachers on workshop model. "Why can't I just have them read the same story and test at the end?" When we blame ineffective practice on kids, how will we ever be willing to try new things? #txeduchat
Bottom line: our practice is one thing we can control. I can't control whether or not my students ate this morning, or how much money is in the budget. What I can do is constantly seek to gain knowledge & new ideas to help the kids I have grow #txeduchat
#txeduchat I've never personally felt a teacher taking his/her anger out on their students, but I can typically tell when teachers aren't a fan of me. I've had teachers outright ignore me at times, and with others there was just a sense/tone when we communicated that keyed me in.
In reply to
@catydear, @nsutherland2000, @transvriska
A5: 1/2 Nneka coming in late. It can be positive if we remember those things that made us love school - usually involved a teacher who was great a building relationships. #txeduchat
#txeduchat I've never personally felt a teacher taking his/her anger out on their students, but I can typically tell when teachers aren't a fan of me. I've had teachers outright ignore me at times, and with others there was just a sense/tone when we communicated that keyed me in.
In reply to
@catydear, @nsutherland2000, @transvriska
A5 2/2 It can be negative if we rely on the way it has always been done to educate our students. Today's kids need something different because society is different. #txeduchat
A6 I’m not entirely sure - I try to change attitudes in my PD. As a supervisor of student teachers, I tell them to avoid the negative teachers and surround themselves with positive coworkers. #txeduchat
A6: We must recognize when negative nostalgia is blocking our students from optimal learning experiences. Gauge resistance, boredom, or disruptions. #txeduchat
#txeduchat Most of the time I think they did know. Other times I could tell they thought they were playing it off really well, but their was just that fake niceness behind our conversations that really put me off to asking questions or going to them with issues.
In reply to
@catydear, @nsutherland2000, @transvriska
#txeduchat I do think it was just the teacher as I’ve never in all my years of going to school had any other teacher complain about either behavior or attitude to my parents or admin
In reply to
@catydear, @nsutherland2000, @bales_99
A6: I think it's important to give space to frustrations. I used to write them down, give a day of space, then come back and reflect on the root of frustrations. Most of the time, it really came down to an insecurity or struggle I was having. #txeduchat
Good advice. I can't claim to have been positive all of the time; I had major frustrations with lots of things. But I tried my best to never deflect those feelings on my students. #txeduchat
A7: I clung to some of my favorite novels for a really long time because, in my mind, the kids just had bad taste. Why weren't "these kids" reading? When I unclenched my fingers and moved to student choice, amazing...kids were actually reading! #txeduchat
