Getting to Know the Characteristics of Good Teachers

For most pre-service teachers, they have had 13+ years of "apprenticeship of observation" (Lortie, 1975) - that is, they  have been students in schools for thousands of hours and seem to know what teachers do everyday.  However, as any classroom teacher will tell you - there is a lot of time, thought and effort that goes on behind the scenes that students never see.  As a teacher-educator, I hope to help my pre-service teachers become more aware of how their previous experiences as students influences their understanding of teaching and learning and their own development as teachers.

 One of the first activities I ask my pre-service teachers to complete is a quick review of the "characteristics of effective teachers".  To accomplish this, I ask the students to search for and view four YouTube videos using search terms like - characteristics/qualities/traits and good/effective/excellent and teachers.  The students take notes on the author and purpose of the video and what characteristics were discussed.  Then, in small groups, the students combine their observations for a group list - which is then compared against the other groups.  It is not surprising, but the results are fairly consistent - passionate, enthusiastic, knowledgeable, fair, organized, supportive, patient, caring, friendly, respectful and creative.

I then introduce the book "Thank You, Mr. Falker" by  Patricia Polacco, which is a memoir of her struggles with dyslexia in school and the teacher who made a difference for her.  Jane Kaczmarek reads the story in this Screen Actors Guild video.  Using a Quick Write, students reflect on the teachers who have influenced them the most and share their responses with a partner.

Finally, in small groups, students draft a job description for a teacher.  This would include the objective, summary statement, qualifications, duties/responsibilities, required skills, and desired skills.  It could also include the salary range and hours. 

For many students, this was the first time they have broken down the actual job of a teacher into the smaller parts to consider the daily tasks of not just lesson planning and teaching, but communicating with staff and parents, assessment paperwork, additional duties like lunch and recess, after school activities, and assorted professional meetings.  I chuckled when one student commented, "Hmmm... I guess I should really look into actual job descriptions, considering this is what I want to do." 

E + R = G

Experience plus reflection equals growth – John Dewey

Throughout my teacher education I remember hearing about becoming a “reflective practitioner.” I also had many assignments which asked me to “reflect” on the process of completing the project or after an observation in the classroom. Usually these assignments added up being a lot of “I” statements – I think . . . I saw. . . I believe etc. Once the professor read the assignment, it was either filed or tossed. This process didn't seem very reflective. There were few comments returned and almost no conversation. So did I learn how to be a “reflective practitioner” - not really.

I struggled with this idea once I become a teacher. As a first year teacher, I knew I had a lot to learn, but where was I going to learn it? The principal did the required two observations in my classroom, but otherwise, for 178 days, I was alone in the room trying to figure out how to teach middle schoolers. Obviously, being teenagers, I was getting constant feedback from them.“This sucks!” or “Why can't we go on more field trips?” or “When are we ever gonna use this?” However, I was just happy to have lesson plans and grading done, much less have the time to “observe” myself and learn from my own mistakes and successes. No master teacher was there to guide the apprentice and help me assess my strength and weaknesses and grow.

Now – ten years later, I'm still struggling with the idea of being a “reflective practitioner.” The school day is not designed to give time to a teacher to stop and think, ponder and communicate about their practices. Every moment is filled with prepping, teaching, supervising, meetings, after school activities etc. Carving out time to observe others and discuss ideas is almost sacrilege – there isn't a visible result, so how can we devote time or money to it? If a teacher isn't directly involved with students, isn't that a waste of taxpayer/tuition-payer money?

Even though most schools give lip service to the idea of having students “become more reflective learners” few forge strong reflective practices in their teachers. If teachers don't use these skills, they are less likely to teach and expect their students to use them.

Next week I am starting a study group using the information from Harvard's Project Zero and Disney Leaning Partnership. It is entitled “Teaching in the Creative Classroom.” My goal is to give teachers a forum to discuss teaching practices and have the time to really think about what goes on in their classroom. To be honest, this was a selfish endeavor, as I wanted a place and time to do that. As the old adage says, “Actions speak louder than words.” Hopefully these actions will carry over into the classroom.

TGI-March: On a personal note

TGIM!!! Thank God it's March. February is such a difficult month for teachers and students' I didn't think the February blues would hit Aruba. It is still warm – high of 88 and low of 75 every day. Most days are sunny with a slight to strong breeze. The ocean is a beautiful turquoise blue. That's not a snowflake in sight or a scarf or sweater. Yet, most teachers and students act like it is blistery, depressing winter.

Teachers snap at students and each other. Students are not working hard and irritate each other and the teachers. Work piles up – lesson planning, grading, report writing, curriculum writing, scheduling, and ordering supplies. Everyone looks around and wonders, why am I doing this . . . does it really matter.

This blue funk has been a major discussion point on the MiddleWeb listserv. It seems to be a universal occurrence. So, how do teachers get through it? On the listserv, we've been sharing “Points of Joy” - those little moments that bring a smile to your face. Other teachers are “Standing for...” and telling the story of a student whose life was significantly impacted by their teachers.

I'm trying to leave school at school. This is such a hard thing for me to do. I always feel like I should be doing more. With six completely different classes to plan for, grade etc I'm always feeling behind. Yet if I take it home, then the homework doesn't get done – cooking, cleaning, washing etc. Then I feel guilty for not doing that. And what about fun? Should that be reserved for the weekends? I don't think so. As the old adage says, “All work and no play makes Jane a dull girl.”

I'm using a little more time to work on myself. I've joined WeightWatchers online and have been spending time learning about nutrition and health. This has been very eye-opening. I'm getting up early and trying to do yoga most mornings. With mid-quarter coming up, I have, unfortunately, skipped a few days. It feels good to have a gentle workout in the morning. I've never been into running, the closest gym is 30 minutes away, and definitely NOT open that early. I'm also reading two different books – and not professional ones. The first “A Women's Checklist for Life” is a short devotional book with reminders and checklists of what truly is important in life. The other book is “Peak Learning.” I heard the author speak at a conference and wanted to know more about his ideas. I'm about halfway through the book and have not learned much new about brain theory and research, but it is a good reminder of things I've forgotten.

My goals for the near future is to yoga at least three times a week. I'd like to pick up a few different videos of routines. I would also like to spend more time writing. I had thought that Aruba would be a slower pace of life and I could focus more on writing. However, that hasn't happened often. I need to plan more time for this. Finally, I need to be a little better balanced with the teacher vs civilian parts of me.

3 Sections of Life

A few years ago a friend stated his philosophy of life like this: There are three aspect of your life – social, family, and work. One aspect can be out of kilter and you'll feel fine, but when any two are not going well, you will feel overwhelmed or depressed. I've though a lot about this over the years and believe that is true. For me, the separate “sections” of my life do spill over to the other sections. If I'm having a bad day with the students, I'll not be as pleasant as a wife as I should be. Lately, though, it seems that all three are chugging along happily. I feel confident in the classroom and see students learning real skills for life. They are engaged in the work and performing well. At home, I then feel more relaxed and able to do homey things without feeling guilty about school. This year we have chosen to limit our social life and spend more time at home. It was a conscious decision when taking this job. We knew we would be living in a fairly unpopulated part of the island and that going out would be expensive. I would like to be a little more connected with the world in general, and that happened last night. We are officially connected with DSL so I can use internet at home now. This will also improve my work for school as I can search for resources from the comfort of my own home.