In 100 words or more, comment on the following:
Looking at the “non-traditional” three Rs, think about how reasoning, resilience, and responsibility will serve our students now and into their futures. Talk about specific parts of YOUR job where it is vital you have and use those skills/qualities.
Don’t forget to comment (in 50 words or more) on another participant’s comment on this question.
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11 comments:
Acquiring the skill of reasoning will help our students to be problem solvers now, and in the future. As a Literacy teacher, I must reason and solve problems in order to help students every day. I think that all teachers make hundreds, or even thousands of decisions every day. These decisions vary from deciding what course of action to take with a student, to changing instruction mid-lesson to better reach students simply based on observations of their understanding through informal assessment.
Resiliency is a key life skill. We are all faced with obstacles and hardships throughout our lives, it’s how we deal with them that determines our success in life. A specific area that this applies directly to my job is apparent when I am dealing with kids with behavior issues. If teachers weren’t resilient, we’d never find a way to reach these kiddos, and they would be given up on. Instead, we work diligently to find a way to help them and still manage to care about them despite how hard they can manage to make a day sometimes.
Responsibility is perhaps the most important of the “Three R’s” for our students to practice, now and as they move into adulthood. Being responsible affects everything, from our ability to do quality work, to our relationships with our peers. In my job, I can’t think of an area where responsibility isn’t vital. I think that my most important responsibility is to do the very best I can to reach each of my students. I don’t expect to be perfect, but I do recognize that I have a responsibility to each of my students to be the best teacher I can be for each one of them.
Specific parts of MY job where it is vital I have and use the reasoning, resilience, and responsibility skills/qualities? Hmm, gotta say have them and use them on a daily basis in kindergarten! As far as reasoning goes I think outside the box to come up with new ways to teach old concepts, I am always critically and analytically reflecting upon my lessons and personal interactions with my students and I use my melon to ensure that I am teaching towards the common good of my students. I have a VERY difficult student this year, I am constantly processing and reflecting on how I must approach/handle/de-escalate my kiddo. Through this process his behavior has become more manageable…but it has taken a lot of reasoning skills on my part. This student also leads me to the resilience category of the three R’s. I believe in myself that this student is here because I have the ability to work with him, the skills to help him be successful, for the next step for him is self contained, and truelly if that happens….his future has been chosen for him. I have the passion and willingness to take this challenge on and give him a chance. As far as responsibility goes I care. Again as far as this particular student goes…I care what happens, I feel for him, for his home environment, for the obstacles ahead of him. I only hope that my hard work sets him on a path of success and normalcy, for life is hard, specially if those around you give up on you!
I think it is great if a student is a whiz at math or is a great writer, but those skills won’t get them too far in their adult lives without reasoning, resilience and responsibility. I went to high school with a guy who was so smart, but he’s at home living with his parents now because he can’t seem to hold down a job or choose and/or finish his college degree. According to his high school test scores, he should be wildly successful, but instead he is 30 and has no idea what he wants to do with his life. I’m certainly not saying it is the school’s fault, but somewhere along the way he never learned reasoning, resilience and responsibility. As I mentioned in my response to the previous questions, one of the things I like about teaching FCS is how reasoning, resilience and responsibility, which I think of as everyday coping skills, are so ingrained in the curriculum. It is hard not address these three areas when teaching decision making in the areas of nutrition, relationships, finances and family responsibilities. I also use these skills when dealing with discipline issues and managing different student personalities. Reasoning, resilience and responsibility are important when working with other teachers to come up with ideas and solutions to the problems our students face and also with the hard choices schools have to make because of funding issues and NCLB requirements.
A; Response to Amanda
I completely agree Amanda! "We are all faced with obstacles and hardships throughout our lives, it’s how we deal with them that determines our success in life." It is what happens in life that defines who we are! When faced with adversity and challenge I only wish that everyone had the insight to rise above and beyond, learning and changing for the better! No one said life would be easy!
A: Response to Amanda
I have had to change course in the middle of a lesson many times, even if it was a successful lesson with a previous class. Teaching really does force one to be resilient because we're dealing with so many different student personalities and student issues. During my methods class in college, we had a day where we all taught a mini-lesson and we were kind of heckling each other and pretending to be obnoxious teenagers. The last girl to go ended up leaving the room and crying because she couldn't handle the minor teasing (teasing that she had just saw all of us go through and knew was just in fun). I felt bad she was so upset, but on the other hand it helped her realize maybe she wasn't tough enough for the classroom!
The skills of reasoning, resiliency, and responsibility will naturally serve students now and into their futures by helping them succeed in any situation that life may throw at them. The ability to reason and correctly judge situations is a skill that all people need on a daily basis. Which people are truly your friends? Which activity should you do first, and why? Who can you truly trust? Why shouldn't you open that radiator cap on your overheating car? Students will be faced with situations throughout their life where they will need to use reason to decide the best course of action. I want them to ask questions and not just blindly accept my word. Letting others do your thinking for you is a dangerous game. As a teacher, I am called upon daily to judge the best way to react to curriculum changes, unexpected situations, or trends of student behavior. If I were incapable of independent reasoning, I'd need a different job. "Who ever said that life is fair?" This is a common response to students who are complaining about things that are going wrong in their lives. Because life is often full of suprises and unexpected circumstances, it is vital that students learn to be able to overcome obstacles and continue on the way to their goals. In my job, I often find that I have to leave my personal life at home and give my students the teacher and lessons they deserve. I also look for the lessons I learn in overcoming my own problems and use them as examples on ways that students can use when faced with similar difficulties. Finally, responsibility is the number one most useful skill a student can take from school. Not only will it help them get their work done on time, but it will help them admit that their actions have consequences and that better choices yield better opportunities in life. I know that it is my responsibility to be on time, prepared, knowledgeable about my subject, and accessible to my students. I need to accept that when I have difficulties, I am at least partly to blame and that I need to accept and learn from my mistakes to become a more effective educator.
response to dstark:
I absolutely agree that being book smart is not synonymous with being successful. Some of the most important lessons students learn in school have nothing to do with the three "R's," or music, or art, or even FCS. At least, they're not found on the tests for any of these subjects. Instead, they are the lessons learned to accomplish the tasks in each of these classes. Students are learning to meet a deadline, to work with others who are different, and to overcome problems and still accomplish a task. Without these skills, test scores are meaningless.
Initial Response to Question 2C
Because the world in which we now live will be all but non-existent in the future (mostly due to the advancement of technology), our students will need to be armed with new tools for success. For example, many jobs will revolve around isolated workstations around the world. Many more workers will be self-employed. With no coworkers to blame for mistakes, each individual will be responsible for his or her own actions. In addition to this, each individual must have resilience to solve problems that do not yet exist. The ability to discern a high ethical and moral standard will also be key components of success as new technologies emerge.
I use the other three Rs on a daily basis. Reasoning skills are used as I am required to adapt creatively to new and unexpected teaching circumstances. I must critically and analytically use my knowledge to determine the best methods of teaching the same topic to each unique classroom in order to enhance maximum student growth. If I was not extremely resilient, I would have changed professions years ago. Because I am passionate about my content area, I am able to look for solutions to daily obstacles. In past teaching assignments, I have felt unmotivated and have wanted to simply give up. However, I persevered until I saw positive changes occur. I have learned over the years that some days will be more rewarding than others. It is that pursuit of those rewarding days that makes this profession so worthwhile. Without responsibility, I would lose credibility. My word is no stronger than my actions; therefore, I always try to do my job to the best of my abilities and with a clear conscience at the end of every day.
Responding to Sheri (Question 2C)
Because I also have this student once a week (for a mere thirty minutes!), I can indeed testify that this child is indeed EXTREMELY difficult! However, I have noticed a remarkable improvement in his behavior over the past few months. Your calm demeanor in dealing with his numerous outbursts is very impressive. Because you are willing to listen and empathize with him, I believe that he is more willing to listen to you. Sometimes students such as this come into our lives to make us more aware of the gifts that most of us have been given. I admire your desire to reach this child. You are so correct in saying that once those around him give up on him, his future has been chosen for him. He is very lucky to have such a strong advocate in his corner! You are a great role model for this child, and for the rest of us who teach him!
Responding to Lela;
You are absolutely right, even as children, students need the skills to deal with friendships and day to day situations. They must keep building on these skills as they progress into adulthood.
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