Woodford states “any notion of progress depends upon individuals having faith in the past. Students should be encouraged to question and challenge tradition and the status quo… they must have faith in the past and in the possibility of progress (pg 44).”
I agree that although tradition is important, things must change with time. My entire worldview transforms every single day; this makes me increasingly aware of the fact that what I believe now, the way I learn and perceive people and ideas, and my amount of knowledge is subject to change drastically as soon as I step foot inside the classroom. As a young teacher, I have no choice but to be flexible and use every experience as a teachable moment for myself. I feel that having this kind of attitude increases the capacity of a teacher.
I feel that it is important to be open to change as a teacher, regardless of how long one has been teaching, because our world and culture is always changing. Without this ability to be versatile, a teacher will lose his or her ability to relate with students and will not be able to reach them.
My experiences in the classroom thus far have led me to the conclusion that at some point, things will not go directly as planned. An exciting aspect of teaching is that anything can happen, therefore, a teacher should be ready for anything and everything. However, this can be unnerving, especially for someone who is extremely organized, regimented, and relies on tradition and past practice. As teachers we must learn how to be confident and relaxed enough to respond positively to unexpected circumstances and change; if one is too uptight and structured, the amount of knowledge retained in the classroom could be compromised.
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3 comments:
This is definitely true...we can't be too rigid about our lesson plans, as fantastic as they are ;-). We have to keep our eyes and ears open for something equally fantastic to happen spontaneously!
I think this is what makes teaching so exciting, though, and such a timeless profession. Stock markets and online businesses may come and go, but there will always be schools to inspire the young (and older!).
I agree with you that we are definitely all changing every day, every day we are thrown new curve balls. I think it's up to us to take these curve balls, and just make the best out of them. We can't worry about lessons that didn't go exactly the way we wanted them to. I think it's more important to be spontaneous and in the moment.
I also agree with what Laura said, that teaching is such a timeless profession. There is ALWAYS going to be a need for a teacher. It's up to us to make the most of it, don't worry too much... and just let life take us where it's supposed to take us!
Although teaching is a traditional role, and a timeless profession, as Laura says, it is always changing. The ever prevalent teacher position is both timeless and moves with the time.
Because it is imperative that the teacher relate to the students, the teacher is always learning new things. He or she should always be familiar with the pop culture of the time to understand the background of the students. I personally am excited to become a teacher and have that position as I get older because it will enable me to understand current events from a fresher and more objective standpoint. The students will allow us to keep an open mind and how to move with the times.
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