Lasting Impressions? Do you ever think back to your childhood or elementary, middle and high years? From those reflections, what experiences left a lasting impression on you that have lasted over time and perhaps will last a lifetime?
When I reflect back, I have a plethora of lasting impressions that have affected who I have become today: how and why I think they way I do; how and why behave the way I do; how and why I believe in what I believe; and how and why I am an educator today!
During my childhood years, I remember all of the positive comments that family members bestowed upon me that helped to boost my self-esteem. For example: you are so beautiful, you are very smart and never let anyone tell you differently, and you can be what ever you want to be... These comments and many others helped to develop and mold my self-esteem and provided me with ample mental confidence and power to achieve any goal that I had set for myself.
In elementary school, I remember how nurturing and positive my teachers were to me. That type of environment made it very easy for me to attend school; I loved going to school for this reason and learning new things everyday! My Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Podza, taught me: how to use my quiet voice so that I would not disturb others who were working, how to be kind to others, how to finger paint (lots of fun) and draw, and how to make homemade cards for my parents for the different holidays, and to laugh- because laughter makes people feel real good. I remember my Physical Education teacher, Mrs. Pingley, who is the mastermind behind what I do today! Everyday she was overly enthusiastic and she made all of us feel really good and we learned lots of cool things. Most importantly, she always took the time to tell us how much she really enjoys coming to work everyday to be with us and how much she loves each and everyone of us.
In middle school, I had one lasting impression that was one of the most pivotal points in my life! My eighth grade Science teacher, Mrs. Pruitt (Broskey now), saw in me the intellectual potential to do great things. She took me to the side one day and informed me that I was smart and if I really work hard and put my mind to it I can get an A in her class (I did). She also said that I have so much potential to excel and accomplish whatever I want. This one small moment of kindness was a catalyst for change in me. I gained a new found respect for myself and a higher level of self-esteem. From that point on, I did excel in all classes, and I am doing great things today and hopefully I will have many more years of it.
In high school, I especially loved the writing assignments in English because it provided me with the opportunity to showcase my creativity and artistic ability. I remember taking vocab words and turning those few words (twenty I think) into original short stories, or when I got to take on the roll of the mythical character Cyclops (Polythemus). I became Polythemus and created a heroic journey (no pun intended) for him to experience: he had to find his long lost father Poseidon who disappeared when Polythemus was young. I wrote Polythemus' journey filled with many emotions and adventures. I received an A++ on that assignment and it was on display for other students to read. It was an awesome experience writing that story and I still have it and the other vocab short stories in my possession! Last year I shared my Polythemus story with a seventh grade teacher who was hoping to have her students do a similar assignment; the students loved the story.
I never was bored of going to school; for me it was filled with anticipation of what I was going to learn new that day, week, month and year!
Today, I am thinking about my use of technology in the classroom and how these authentic experiences will affect my students, and I am thinking about the environment that I create for my students and how that environment plays a role in student experiences and learning. Then, I ask myself, "Is my use of technology in the classroom, effective in leaving a lasting impression on my students?" , or "What types of lasting impressions am I hoping to instill in my students with each technology integrated lesson?" As we each create, plan and implement our practicum lesson and unit plans, are we asking ourselves these very same questions? At the end of the lesson or unit, are students finding a connection to themselves that will leave a lasting impression?
Do you have lasting impressions from your childhood or elementary, middle and high school years? In planning activities, lessons, or units do you ask yourself the questions mentioned in the paragraph above? Or, do you have a different approach?
4 comments:
Toni, it seems like you were very lucky to have so many positive experiences that influenced your thinking.
When I think of my school experience, prior to being in the ITS program, I cannot recall a single authentic experience in the classroom. I attended 12 years in a Catholic school and it was very teacher-centered. Isn't that sad?
Luckily, my parents offered me lots of wonderful experiences and opportunities to 'socialize'.
I particularly remembered those when I was in High School.
I traveled with a singing group when I was 16, got to go to Europe for one month, sold diamonds in a family friend's jewelry store-that was an experience, worked for an insurance company in downtown Chicago, played piano in many different venues. All in all, I think these were my authentic experiences that impacted my learning.
Today, as I reflect more and more on our journey together, I wonder the same thing: Have I provided an authentic experience for the ITSers? I am so proud of the growth in each and every person in the cohorts and it really hit me last night in class how the tables have turned. When Terry showed me that he had embedded the player for your podcasts, I was thrilled. When he said, "Do you want me to show you how to do it?" I suddenly realized that now I was in the position of learner and you are all in the position of sage on the side. this impacted me greatly about the process of learning and the meaning of 'coming around full circle'.
Dawn, wow; I did not know that you were musically talented! I can relate to your experience with
Terry. Each year I learn more and more from my students, they are great teachers of teachers only if teachers would allow them to do just that. I'm sure that many other educators feel the same way and do allow their students to teach them something new. When we experience these types of learning opportunities, it strengthens the relationship between teacher and student. I commend you for allowing your students to teach you!
How many teachers do you know that won't try something new or won't jump in there when they here of a cool idea currently used? I worked with a teacher who just wouldn't implement this one particular lesson that we collaborated on because she hadn't practiced it enough and hadn't learned every single aspect of it. She confided that she was afraid of making a mistake and appearing like she didn't know what she was doing. She wanted to create the illusion of a perfect learning environment. Now how authentic is that? We are humans and we make mistakes. Why should children learning in a perfect environment? I spent lots and lots of time showing her and demonstrating through my own mistakes (some on purpose, most not) that it is okay and the students really do appreciate it!
oh yeah, i usually ask & think about "How will the students remember this?" as teachers we definitely can make a student's day a "great day at school" or a "school sucks" kind of experience. even though the technology doesn't work all the time (network is down or the Internet connection is super slower than usual) it's important to remember that technology is a powerful teaching tool, but it really does come down to the teacher & how/why we plan & EXECUTE our lessons & activities!
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