Cathy Boerner Ed 201 Reflection on Effective Teaching January 28, 2010 I'll never forget my fourth grade teacher

!i"" John"on #a" at lea"t in her early $0'" and never married %he in"i"ted on &eing addre""ed a" '!i""' rather than '!"' %he had a "y"tem of organi(ation for everything %he demanded the in"ide of our de")" #ere neat and clean at all time" %he #ould do random in"*ection" to "ee if #e #ere o&eying thi" rule I never )e*t my de") clean The children made fun of her &ehind her &ac) +or the fir"t half of the year #hile !i"" John"on #a" teaching, I continually chatted #ith my de") neigh&or" or I #ould ,u"t tal) to my"elf I dre# *icture" in"tead of doing my in-cla"" home#or) If I got too di"ru*tive, !i"" John"on #ould move my de") to the far corner of the cla""room, facing the #all and the *lant" "he )e*t &y the #indo# The day I #a" the unluc)y "tudent to get a de") in"*ection, !i"" John"on di"covered my &latant di"regard for her clean-de") rule %he "ure #a" angry In one fell "#oo* my frail teacher *ic)ed u* and turned over my de"), cau"ing the to* to fly o*en, cau"ing all of it'" content" to dro* to the floor The #hole cla""room #a" "ilent until !i"" John"on uttered '.o# clean it u*/' %he #al)ed &ac) to the front of the cla"" and returned to her le""on Contrary to the *icture I ,u"t *ainted of !i"" John"on, "he #a" con"i"tently ran)ed a" one of the mo"t re"*ected and highly regarded teacher" in the 0reendale %chool 1i"trict 2arent" re3ue"ted that their children &e *laced in !i"" John"on'" cla""room 4ne year "he #on an a#ard,

recogni(ing her e5cellent #or) #riting and directing a *lay a&out 6merican 7i"tory #hich "he had her fourth grade cla""room *erform every year %he incor*orated "inging and art into our le""on *lan everyday By mid-year of my fourth grade, "omething gave me the idea that I might not &e a&le to &e a goof &all in cla"" anymore !i"" John"on refu"ed to acce*t me a" 'the di"o&edient )id' 8I had earned thi" title over the *reviou" t#o year"9 !i"" John"on'" con"i"tent leader"hi*, authority and organi(ation gave me no room to continue my mi"chief By the end of my year #ith !i"" John"on, I had really changed I #a" turning in all my home#or), #on a reading a#ard, "tayed 3uiet during cla"" le""on", and you &et I #a" )ee*ing my de") organi(ed/ 6lthough "he #a" clearly #hat motivated thi" change, I never let on to any&ody that I li)ed or re"*ected !i"" John"on 8&ut I did9 1uring the follo#ing "ummer, my *arent" informed me that !i"" John"on #a" very "ic) and in the ho"*ital %oon after, I #a" attending !i"" John"on'" funeral I di"covered !i"" John"on #a" "uffering from "ome )ind of degenerative illne"" for a long time and decided not to tell her "tudent" That really had an im*act on me %he mu"t not have #anted to affect our learning and develo*ment #ith the )no#ledge of her illne"" !i"" John"on may have &een an ornery, "trict teacher &ut "he greatly affected me and "he i" one of the teacher" I mo"t remem&er for changing me The thing I #ant to ta)e from my e5*erience of having her a" my teacher i" to ac3uire the a&ility that "he had to get her cla""room to "tay organi(ed, &ehave and &e all around

&etter "tudent" I *redict that my &igge"t "truggle during my fir"t field *lacement #ill &e learning the right &alance &et#een &eing a 'loving caregiver' and a di"ci*linarian !y di"*o"ition i" definitely to &e the former more than the latter Come to thin) of it, I've never had to &e a di"ci*linarian &efore/ %ure, I have a &unch of e5*erience &a&y "itting and no# a" a nanny, &ut learning ho# to direct children to do the right thing and "tay on ta") i" fairly ne# to me The ten year old girl I currently ta)e care of ha" a "tu&&orn and defiant "trea) and I do thin) that I handle her #ell But #hat #ill ha**en #hen I have a #hole cla""room of children: ;ill I &e a&le to "tay "oft-"*o)en and ea"ygoing &ut al"o command re"*ect: Thi" i" #ill &e my goal for my field *lacement thi" "eme"ter, to &e a&le to o&"erve teacher" a**lying the nece""ary ")ill" for teaching in the mo"t effective manner and then *racticing them my"elf I don't #ant to lo"e anyone'" re"*ect right off the &at I #ant children to )no# that I am "omeone #ho li)e" them a lot, &ut #ho "hould al"o &e loo)ed u* to and re"*ected I loo) for#ard to *racticing thi" thi" "eme"ter 6lthough a little nervou", I'm al"o e5cited to "tart my fir"t field *lacement and I thin) I'm going to &e learning a lot from it