Envisioning+English+(Milner,+Milner,+Mitchell)+-+RM

The center of my interest in becoming a teacher is definitely adolescent students. I want to be a positive addition and influence to my student's lives. I recognize that not everyone grew up the way I did, with loving parents involved in their lives. I recognize that I will be much more than just a teacher. I'm a role model, a counselor, a friend, and an advocate. I think as long I continue to be passionate about my students as individuals, the stress, difficult parents, standardized testing, and mediocre pay will be bearable. Like everything in life, it's the individual relationships with others that are most important. (1-1)

Traditional practices are rooted in the beliefs that a teacher's first responsibility is to "transfer knowledge to students" and learning can be measured by testing. Traditionally, the focus of the classroom is on the teacher as opposed to the students. Alternative methods place the focus on the student constructing meaning for themselves by making personal connections to the material. The traditional practices are extremely outdated and not effective for //real// learning to take place. Students may memorize facts, but not much more. Through using alternative approaches, I can not only keep my students engaged and excited about learning, but also let them take control of their learning, which is important at their age. Giving students responsibility and choices when it comes to their learning is important at their age.

The main idea that I took away from this chapter is that I never want to be that "traditional" teacher. I recognize that I do not have all of the answers, and I'm very aware that I will learn from my students, just as they will learn from me. Also, rather than putting most of the emphasis on creating a final product and then assigning a grade, I want my students to see the value of the process it took to create that final product. I think that is something that is often overlooked in the classroom.