It was really interesting to learn about Frank McCourt in today's class. One of the ideas he mentioned that really resonated with me was to not put on an act with the students because they can easily tell. This is something I've struggled with during tutoring or working as an E.A. Students definitely don't respond well when they think they are being fooled or tricked so I understand and have experienced how attempting to put on a "mask" is a losing battle. I'm still trying to find the balance between discipline and going with the flow while teaching so I think this will be an ongoing process for me.
Another thought that stemmed out of our discussion of Frank McCourt was exploring different ways of teaching. I was reminded of a teacher I worked with who said she often has to gauge the class before deciding how to teach them. For example, some students are more hands on learners in groups while others prefer to work quietly by themselves. Of course this is true in any classroom on an individual basis, but looking at the majority really helped this teacher shape her lessons. In this way, I don't think teachers have to choose one way of teaching and stick to it for their entire career or over all of their classes; it's more of a back and forth between the class and the teacher, much like how Frank McCourt would join in his class's resistance to a book.
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