My Classroom Observation at Junior High school "Alejandro de Humboldt"

        One week has passed since I started to go to junior high school, and I have noticed that to deal with teenagers is not as easy as it seems. However, having worked with some teens at church has helped me a lot since I got some experience. Nevertheless, it is somehow different to teach junior high school students than to teach kindergartners or religious children so that for me to teach junior high school students is challenging. I remember that during my classroom observations, a group of ninth grade students was looking at me in a way that scared me (the majority of them were boys); therefore, I decided not to teach ninth grade students but seventh grade students. The teacher whom I observed was amazed of seeing me there since I had been one of his farmer English students; I was a little uncomfortable there, and so was he. After the first observation he was sincere and explained to me all difficulties an English teacher has in that school in regards to the size of the classroom, numerous quantities of students, and lack of materials and resources. To tell the truth, I could see his honesty, sincerity, and willingness to make the learning process more interesting to his students no matter how hard it could be. Finally, that teacher told me something that really struck my mine; he told me “This group of students (seventh grade students) is in your hands, so do whatever you consider good for them.” “Don’t worry; I’m here to learn from you, too.” So, I really appreciate his desire to help me and his humbleness, too.

The Teacher as a Person

I state two characteristics of the teacher as a person in the following way:  
 

•Role of  Fairness and Respect

 

•Costructive social interactions contribute  to Ss learning and achievement and increase Ss self-esteem.

•Effective teachers demonstrate interest in students' lives .

 

•Role of caring 

 

•two-way communication that exudes trust, tact, honesty,humility,and care.

 

•effective teachers care  for the student first as a person and then as a student.

•Respects each student as an individual.

The two characteristics above are pretty important for me; however, I have taken just some of the qualities of an effective teacher as a person since they are many. But the ones I picked are in somehow similar and represent the attitude a teacher shows toward teaching profession. Besides, in these two characteristics teachers have something in common; that is to say, they are seen as leaders, and the ones that invest in their own education something that really struck in my mind because nowadays it is rarely to see a teacher interested in his or her own learning except those who are not already involved in the traditional way of teaching. It would be nice if we teachers could combine these two characteristics and also the ones I did not mention but this is a matter of being aware of what the teaching and learning process are all about.  Clearly, effective teachers as persons model to their students that education and learning are valuable by taking classes and participating in professional development, conferences, and in-service training, too.

Which prerequisite seems most important to you?

    To be sincere, Teaching Experience and Teacher Effectiveness was the most important prerequisite for me since I understood that teachers who are both experienced and effective are experts who know the content and students they teach, use efficient planning strategies, practice interactive decision-making, and embody effective classroom management skills. These experienced and effective teachers are efficient –they can do more in less time than novice educators.  However, novice teachers can work in the same range of effectiveness if they propose themselves to their best in every class. Therefore, the number of years in front of a classroom of students may not necessarily indicate that a teacher is expert. For example,  a  the teacher whom I worked  with in the kindergarten last semester told me that I looked as if I was an experienced teacher and  she also noticed that I liked teaching English.  Though experience and awareness, teachers are able to improvise. Flexibility and adaptability are sometimes better than a well-written lesson plan because classrooms are dynamic. So we teachers need to be open to changes and we need also enjoy teaching. To summarize,  I considered this prerequisite  as one of the most important because experienced  teachers tend to know and understand their students’ learning needs, learning styles, prerequisite skills, and interest better than beginners, and the classroom of more experienced teachers are better organized around routines and plans for handling problems than those of novices.

What makes great teachers great?

Good teachers must know his or her students and become appassionato for teaching. Good   teachers need to be relaxed, to have self-confidence, and to be critical.  Great teachers have openness, flexibility, and eagerness. Great teachers are the ones who have high expectations   to see a kid succeed. Great teachers have energy, passion, and interest in their own and others’ learning.  Since learning is an intensive experience, great teachers need to treat interactive experiences. A teacher is important in a child’s learning because the teacher is who believes in the child; he is inspired and prepares equality teaching and learning. Great teachers are the ones who have the ability to be relaxed , who have a heart for teaching and who build rapport.