Teaching in Community

I loved when Palmer said "When I remind myself that to teach is to create a space in which the community of truth is practiced-that I need to spend less time filling the space with data and my own thoughts and more time opening a space where students can have a conversation with the subject and with each other-"

I hope that when I have my own classroom I can remember to do this. I have noticed from my time in classrooms with different teachers that some of them are constantly filling the silence with their own voice. I believe that sometimes that silence is essential and that is the time when the students are taking it all in. It is so important that students have that space to create their own thoughts. I know as a student myself that I sometimes like to take the time to process what I have learned and then discuss it with my peers. Just like we do in these blogs we share our thoughts and are able to discuss what we have learned. It is so important that we focus on the student and what suits them best when it comes to the subject. Palmer spoke about how it is hard to abandon the teaching style he was taught and not be the center of the subject. I really like how he pointed out that lecturing is not the best way to deliver the subject. So many of us can relate to sitting in the classroom where information is given to us and we are told what we should know but never retain the knowledge.

Knowing the Community

"To teach is to create a space in which the community of truth is practiced"

The way in which we organize our classrooms is so important to the way our students learn. It is important that a child feels comfortable in the classroom in order to share their thoughts. In the diagram displayed on page 105 it represented the community of truth. I loved how it showed all the interaction between the "knowers" and the "subject." Palmer states that it is important for the subject tot be the center of attention in the classroom and I believe this can occur when the space is set up in a way students can learn. I believe an environment in which the students learn should be creative and spacious. Students should be comfortable in their surroundings and not have too many distractions so that they can focus on the subject at hand. In order for a community of trust to occur a teacher needs to establish a safe environment. I fully believe that begins with the aesthetic of the classroom.

I also really enjoyed that Palmer spoke of competition affecting the community in a classroom. In today's fast past world, competition is something that we face everyday. If there was some way to try and minimize that in classrooms the students may be more comfortable with sharing their own truths. Like Palmer said a student knows themselves better than we ever will, so if we can make our students feel as if they are part of a community they may feel safer sharing their thoughts.

Chapter 3: The Hidden Wholeness

"Every strength is also a weakness, a limitation, a dimension of identity that serves me and others well some circumstances but not all the time."

Palmer recognizes that with his strengths come weaknesses and that is really what can make a great teacher. It is so important in life that we recognize the positives that we can bring into people's lives and the negatives things that we can also bring. God has presented all of us with many gifts and strengths in our lives. It is so important that we recognize these gifts so that we can share them with the world. Our strengths are such a waste if we don't use them to the best of our abilities. What good is it if we don't use the strengths/gifts that God gave to us? God has also gave us our weaknesses which if we recognize them we can turn them into strengths. Life is a constant lesson in making ourselves better. As long as we are aware of our strengths and weaknesses and learn to use them to our advantage we will be successful. The activity that we did on Friday really helped me to recognize my strengths. I tend to be very demanding and critical of myself and it is always good to be able to hear what people think of you. Weather it be positive or negative it all can be used as a growing experience. Each day is a lesson and with that lesson we can choose to learn from it and bring new strengths to our lives or we can choose to ignore our daily lessons and make are weaknesses stronger.

Fear

Fear is not something I readily admit to myself or others. I am not sure if it is because I am scared or ashamed to admit fear or do not realize that when I am in a situation that it is fear that I am feeling. Until reading this chapter I almost completely forgot about how sometimes I was fearful in school. When I was very young I seemed to be scared of nothing in school as I got older though that sentiment changed. Although I had nice teachers for the most part, it was always scary for me to ask a question or even answer because I was afraid of looking "stupid." As a young child I think I was fearless, unfortunately with age that fear grew. If only I had the courage I had then now. I think this chapter was beneficial for me to read because it has made me more aware that the students in my class may be afraid to ask a question and I think I will be more aware of that and seek out the children who may not want to ask the question in front of the class. I also appreciated reading that I was not the only one who may have doubts while I am in front of the class.
As a child I had a very severe speech impediment. Until I was seven or eight I never thought there was anything wrong with the way I spoke. Although I was taken to speech theray since I was five I always believed that it was not a big deal. It wasn't a big deal that is until other children realized I was saying words in a different way then they did. I was asked so many times "why do you talk like that?" I had no answer, I wasn't sure why I didn't sound like everyone else. Being questioned on the way I spoke made me not want to speak at all in front of a group. I still find that if I get nervous now I slip up on my words. The fear of being ridiculed made me hold back in class.
As an adult I still sometimes have that fear of not saying the right thing and being judged by a group. I still get nervous speaking in front of a group of people, but I think now I will be able to realize that a lot of people have this fear and I am not alone. I do not want my students to have a fear of speaking in front of the class or asking me a question . I am going to make conscience effort to make my classroom the most welcoming and safe feeling environment that I can. Although I know I can not stop all the judgment that happens in a school, I can do my part to be a good role model that students feel they can come to with any question, issue, or problem.

The Heart of a Teacher

In the beginning Palmer states " teaching engages my soul as much as any work I know." This is such a powerful statement. How many people do you know that feels that their soul is engaged in their job? Most people have jobs to pay their bills, we get to enrich our souls and the souls of our students. That is a powerful and amazing job description! Teaching is a job of passion, love, and dedication that touches are souls. Palmer also states "good teaching cannot be reduced to technique:good teaching comes from the identity and integrity of the teacher."Our integrity as teachers is so important. We are moral educators and moral role models for our students. Students look up to their teachers for guidance, if a teacher does not have a strong sense of integrity a student can see through that. Palmer spoke of a teacher knowing their true personal identity. We bring our identity into our work, if we are not passionate about what we do the students will see through that and not be passionate for what we are teaching them. We have to realize the affect that we have as educators. It is so important we are aware of the power that we hold. I feel lucky everyday to be able to be a part of a child's life.

One of the topics that really stuck to me from this whole chapter was when Palmer spoke about courage. Although the average person may not look at a teacher as courageous those of us who are teachers or know a teacher knows the courage it takes to get up in front of a class day in and day out. Teachers put themselves out to be exposed to the world on a daily basis. A teacher has to have an open mind and an open heart when they are teaching. You put yourself in a very vulnerable position as an educator. "The courage to teach is the courage to keep one's heart open in those very moments when the heart is asked to hold more than it is able..." This to me explains perfectly what a teacher has to do everyday whether he/she is having a good or bad day and that takes a lot of courage. I know there has been days that I have been going through something in my personal life and may just want to hide form the world. The children in my class give me the courage to get up and go to work and be the best I can be for myself and them. Teaching is a vocation of love and courage and we are all so lucky to have had God put us on this path.

Chapters 6 and 7

What I loved most about reading this book is that all of the insights about teaching can also be applied to your everyday life. I found this particularly true with Chapter 6. I loved in the beginning of the chapter Durka spoke of self-doubt. I believe that anyone who has such a great effect on children has experienced self-doubt at one time or another. When you can have such a major influence on someones life it can be a scary thing. There is a lot of pressure on teachers to do the right thing. It is a major responsibility, so of course self-doubt is going to happen because you want to make sure that you are always doing or at least trying to do the right thing. I also loved that this chapter spoke of the vulnerability of being a teacher. As educators we put ourselves out there on a daily basis to be judged, criticized, and applauded for how we teach. It is an openness that not many people have to face with their careers.

Another aspect of this chapter that I enjoyed was when Durka spoke of motivating our students to WANT to learn. Anyone who has been in a classroom knows that it can be challenging trying to motivate a group of children to want to learn when most of them want to go outside and play. Especially when we even know sometimes the content we are teaching them can be boring. Not only do teachers have to motivate their students, they also have to be able to establish control in the classroom. We have to do all of this with knowing that no matter how hard we try or how good we are at what we do there will always be someone there to criticize what you are doing. This is true both in and out of the classroom. Teachers need to learn to not only open themselves up, but learn how to protect themselves and as Gini said the other day in class establish appropriate boundaries. There sure is a lot on the plate of a teacher!

What I enjoyed most about chapter 7 was the importance of nurturing yourself before you can nurture your students. This is so essential in not only being a healthy teacher, but a healthy person. This statement is not only true in teaching, but also your everyday life. You really need to be caring to yourself before you can care for anyone else. I am so excited to start my journey as a teacher. I not only look forward to the fun and exciting times I will have teaching, but also the tough times so that I may learn from them. I believe I am lucky to have been chosen or to have chosen the path of teaching. I look forward to every smooth path and rocky path that teaching will take me on. All around this book was really uplifting. I know that it will be one that I will look back on throughout my teaching career to give me inspiration.

Chapters 3 and 4

My absolute favorite part of these two chapters was the Arab quote on page 47. "God gave us two ears and one mouth to show us that we should listen twice as much as we speak." That quote popped out at me. It is so powerful. It really made me reflect on my own listening skills. It is so important as teachers that we not only speak, but also listen. Everyday is an opportunity to learn and not everyone realizes that. I loved how chapter 3 spoke of the over loaded society that we live in today. There is so much on our plates and the plates of the students we teach. It is so important for a teacher to encourage his/her students to think and use their imaginations. I thought the 3 characteristics of a healthy learning space were so true. Openness, boundaries, and hospitality are all aspects that should be in a classroom. I really loved that the author wrote about how a student can feel accepted or just tolerated in a classroom. I think in everyday life you can tell if you are accepted or just tolerated and for me that really makes an impact on how I am as a person.

I loved chapter 4. I thought it was great that Durka spoke about the fact that sometimes teachers can be drained. Teaching is a job of passion and it is important that a teacher has a time to reflect and gather themselves. Being present for the students is so important and that is why I think it is essential that a teacher takes time for themselves to reflect and regroup. Teachers have to have such a high energy level for their students so it is great when they can take some time for themselves. Caring is a huge part of the teaching profession and it takes a special kind of person to do this job. Any teacher I have met so far in my classes at USF has really impressed me and I really look forward to learning more form all of you.