Chapters 3 and 4

2. Share 3 (three) exact quotes that are meaningful to you (from across these two chapters), and explain why they matter to you.

"If, as a teacher, my belief in you is unerring, and if I accord you the full dignity due human beings, I will do all I can to ensure that you will become all you should be." (pg. 29, bottom of right column)--This just really makes me think about the opportunities I will be giving my students. What we have our students do needs to lead to new possibilities. We need to help them become the best they can be.

"Furniture arrangement speaks of partnership or isolation, of flexibility or standardization." (pg. 37, bottom of right column)--I never really thought about furniture arrangement would show that. When I have thought about classroom arrangement it is usually more along the lines of what is best when it comes to classroom management and the amount of space I have. This now makes me look at it in a different way.

"Positive environment, clear communication, mutually agree-on guidelines, clear routines, and plentiful support for success are huge factors in helping each student feel pride and ownership in the classroom." (pg. 53, bottom of left column)--By doing this the class will run more smoothly and the students will be more likely to contribute to the class. I also feel that this will help them feel like they have more of a choice in their education. It will help them feel empowered.

Reflecting on Sylvia Allan's Visit

Before this I had only heard what our teachers have taught us about morning meetings. After this class I have come to learn how important morning meetings can be. They help build trust and unity in the classroom. I really enjoyed what she had to say and I now look forward to implementing morning meetings into my classroom. There also seems to be more positive aspects of it than negative. I really enjoyed learning about this from her.

Chapter 2 Reflection

2d. On page 22, Tomlinson says, “The truth is, we will never really do all each child needs us to do.” Later on this page she says, “The point is not to entertain guilt. The point is to relentlessly seize the remarkable opportunity of a teacher to shape lives – to do the best we can to ensure that we are better at reaching children today than yesterday, better at it this year than last.”

The main thing I got from this, is that we are continuously learning. We must always strive to do better. There will be times when we struggle and we need to realize that is what makes us a better teacher. We need to learn from the past and others; that way we can become the best teacher we can be. We shouldn't feel bad if we aren't able to do help every child as much as we would like. We just need to realize that just by helping one student, we have touched or even helped many other people. We don't know what is in store for the future, we just need to do our best.

Chapter 1 Reflection

1c. On page 12 of this reading assignment, Tomlinson says, “… the most effective teaching does not seek transmission of knowledge isolated from human need, but rather attempts to help young learners discover the power of knowledge to reveal, amplify, and develop the best that is in them.” What does this mean to you?

Also on page 12, Tomlinson says, "A distinctive responsibility of schools is to help young people develop the knowledge, skills, and understanding to contribute to society."

As teachers we won't be able to teach our students everything they will need to know in life, but we can definitely help them to become the best that they can be. We can also help them to better understand that they will contribute to society in some sort of way. Help them to understand that there are certain skills that they will need to obtain in order to do this. As teachers we aren't just there to teach the curriculum, we are there to help our students discover their potential.

Wildflowers as a metaphor

Looking at the flowers at first I noticed how beautiful they were; after reading the description I noted the differences. Even though some look the same at first the more I looked at the picture the more I noticed the differences. I think this shows when using it as a metaphor that many of our students may look the same, but they are indeed different. We all have our own needs and so will our students.