Half an Hour.........

I read a blog post written by a teacher and I really liked it. I agreed with him and his views 100% which really made me feel good since I am not in this profession yet so I am not sure if my views are similar or different than other teachers. This blog post was very insightful and really got me thinking. He spoke about ten things you really need to learn. This post was amazingly informative and intriguing. The first thing on his list was How to predict consequences. He said you should focus on what might happen instead of what you want to happen. This is really important if you are going to be a teacher. We are watched every second of every day, our students look up to us and we need to ensure we do the right thing and make the best decisions on what we say and teach. The second thing on his list was you need to learn how to read, meaning learn how to find the hard cold facts looking past all of the fluff in one's writing. A lot of what we are presented to read we need to go through more than once just to get to the point. We need to look for the cold hard facts, get straight to the point so no time is wasted and we can then truly try to understand why we are reading it in the first place. The third thing you need to learn is how to distinguish truth from fiction. This is something I learned from Dr. Smirnova myself in my science class. She told me to question everything. Never settle for an answer always ask why!!! The fourth thing on this list was to learn how to empathize, it is important to be able to see where someone truly is coming from and understand they walk a different life than you have experienced different things than you. What is normal for you may not be normal for someone else. As a teacher it is imperative to do this with not only our students but the parents as well. We may not agree with a parent's view on education, but we have to be able to see it from where they are coming from. The fifth thing you need to learn is how to be creative,  you need to learn how to find things in common between the current situation and other things you know. Try solving a problem and use your past experiences and knowledge to come up with a solution. As a teacher this is imperative!!!! We need to have the ability to be creative and find solutions to problems. We are role models and we can't plan for every second in the classroom. We are going to be confronted with multiple problems that we have never come across and it is up to us to find the solutions, be creative! The sixth thing you  need to learn is how to communicate clearly. Know exactly what it is that you want to say before you try to say it. Think before you speak. Crucial for teachers, you never want to mislead a student or parent or give the wrong information inadvertently. Number seven is learn how to learn. Give your mind the exercise that it deserves, try to learn something new each day. Becoming a teacher means you need to become a lifelong learner. You never stop learning!!! Your success depends on it! Number eight is learn how to stay healthy. Take care of yourself and take proper precautions when necessary. I am guilty of not always doing this, I am the mother of three young children, doing my masters fulltime, working part time and took care of my dying father for the past four years. I never went to the doctor or ate right for myself. I am just now starting to try to take care of myself. I just went to the dr. for the first time in four years last week. If I don't take care of myself, who will take care of those I care for? This is a necessity. The ninth item on the list was to learn how to value yourself. You need to know that you are good enough to have a voice or an opinion. You are important, your thoughts are valued, there are no stupid questions. As a teacher we need that confidence, trust in yourself. The last thing on the list was learn how to live meaningfully. This means find what will give you a purpose, not money or fame, but something like teaching for instance. I was meant to teach -make a mark in others lives through helping and teaching them. This way when my life is complete, I will not feel like it was a meaningless journey. **I really like this list he put together and believe that children and adults alike need to learn these ten things. Every item listed was so true, yet no one teaches students any of these things. We want our youth to grow up to be successful adults, who can problem solve, critically think, and provide meaning to their lives and the communities they live in yet we don't give them all knowledge they need. I wonder why that is......