What it takes to be a teacher

After reading a few of the articles about what it means to be a great teacher, I quickly realized that it isn’t always sunshine and rainbows. Mrs. Begay in her article “A ‘Wisdom Keeper’ Draws From A Deep Well Of Navajo Culture”, she mentions several times a little boy who is struggling with home life and school and that she wishes to help more, but can see him dropping out in a few years. It’s a real eye-opener, to hear first-hand accounts on how not every child can be saved, no matter how hard we try. I particularly liked how she talked about how just being there for one child is enough, and that makes it worth it because I do agree. As long as we’re there for one kid and make them leave happier then they came in with, I did my job. I do think the most surprising thing about this article was the fact that she went back to teaching even though she never thought she would – but it makes me think of several professors that I have had. Out of all the articles, Conrad Cooper’s is probably my favorite – because trust is one of the most important things. Relationships of any kind are built upon trust, and it’s so important for a child to trust a teacher – even if the teaching method isn’t always the best suited for that child. I think what surprises me most is how calm and rational Cooper seems, even though he teaches something so important and potentially life-endangering, and he can teach kids a vital skill in five days.

 Lastly, the final article that really resonated with me was Principal Ali Shalalha’s, and how he used something that for so long and to so many is a way to hurt kids and turned it into a way to help is so inspiring. It really brought to my attention how even if we, as teachers, are told to “teach the test”, we can still make something interesting enough, or teach it enough to be learned and not just taught.  It really adds to the important of teaching and being there for kids in more than just a way of a teacher – if you believe in a child and truly show them, those kids can do amazing things. His article ends with him saying that being “a man of education, you can make a good community and be better than what we have” and I believe in that more than anything.

Bates, K. G. (2015, July 28). The 'Swim Whisperer' Teaches Kids To Be Water-Safe. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/07/28/425617386/the-swim-whisperer-teaches-kids-to-be-water-safe

Harris, E. (2015, July 7). How One Israeli Educator Turned His School Around. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/07/07/419146910/how-one-israeli-educator-turned-his-school-around

Sanchez, C. (2016, January 12). A 'Wisdom Keeper' Draws From A Deep Well Of Navajo Culture. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/01/12/462141655/a-wisdom-keeper-draws-from-a-deep-well-of-navajo-culture

VR

In Graeme Lawrie's article about VR in schools ("How our school is using Virtual Reality to prepare pupils or a future dominated by technology" see footnote for link), he explains the several different VR models as well as how they can benefit the children and the school. I personally agree with many of his findings, that the concept and idea behind VR in classrooms is a wonderful and beneficial experience for content development, the price is far too much for most schools to obtain, and the space needed for most of them (including wall sensors and whatnot) is larger than most classrooms have. However, I believe that the whole concept of immersing a child in the lesson, by virtually placing a child in what you need them to do, will produce a greater learning outcome. I can see the benefits of VR tech far outweigh the downsides of it - but again the cost of multiple VR headsets and wires is an expense most schools cannot afford. I know that several content areas, such as art and science can be used in VR.

The concept of using 360 Videos on youtube and Google cardboard is my favorite one, specifically because there's such a wide range to choose from. While I've never used VR in the classroom, I have used it for recreational purposes, and I do see the benefits of using it. I think that with enough planning and support, I can definitely see it becoming a staple in learning - we require students to have access to computers, TV's, even smartphones for things like Kahoot!, so what is the difference in using VR and the kids smartphones?

How our school is using Virtual Reality to prepare pupils for a future dominated by technology