While reflecting on 2017, I feel like the theme of kindness popped up quite often. I took my students to see "Wonder", and I love the quote "When given the choice between being right and being kind, choose kind". In the classroom, my CT and I made an effort to touch on the power of kindness, and we even did an activity where each student wrote something kind about another student. We spent a period and a half doing this activity during Language Arts, and at the end of the day, each student had a sheet of paper with 32 compliments. The students made one for my CT and I, and it is something that I will treasure forever.
I have been impacted by teachers/professors who chose kind on a daily basis. One professor that comes to mind is my math professor that I had last semester. She was always smiling and really embodied what it meant to be a caring educator. I always felt like she cared about me as an individual, and she frequently shined her light to help us succeed. One moment that stands out to me was when I was upset because a peer told me that he/she does not want to burst my bubble but that I would not earn an A in the class. That was something I mentioned to my professor because I doubted myself and my abilities in regards to mathematics, and throughout the semester, I frequently went to office hours in order to fill in those gaps that I had so that I could prepare myself to be the best teacher that I could be. My professor replied by saying that the student did not know me or my ability like she did. That made me realize that this may be the first professor I have had who genuinely taught from the heart. Towards the end of the semester, in her office, she told me that she appreciated me because I was kind to her, and I walked out of her office with tears in my eyes because I never had a professor tell me "I appreciate you". That is a simple phrase that is oftentimes overlooked when it really should not be. I told that story for a reason. Obviously, this professor impacted my life in a positive way, but she also mentioned that many future teachers worry about being liked when, in reality, they should worry more about making a difference. That resonated with me and made me realize the immense responsibility I have to choose kind on a daily basis. Sometimes, during a class period, I get sidetracked and forget to take the time to have those few second conversations that can mean a lot to the students. I try to be kind to every single person that I meet, and I do send encouraging emails to teachers, professors, and even teachers on my team who I feel need a boost. One small act of kindness can go a long way, and this post made me realize that, as a pre-service teacher, I have the ability to create the positive climate I want in the classroom. I want to be a kind and thoughtful educator and one who strives to learn on a daily basis. I am humbled when I hear that I inspire because teaching has always been a dream of mine, but I would not have been this inspired to teach from the heart without professors like the one mentioned, Roman Nowak (@NowakRo), Laurie McIntosh (@lauriesmcintosh), Megan Hacholski (@megan_hacholski), Alana Stanton (@StantonAlana), and many others who paved the way for me and showed me the difference a kind heart can make in regards to impacting students' lives. My peer once told me that she wishes I shared my voice more because it has a lot of power, and another person told me that she is happy that I could serve as a voice for my students who need me the most. Teachers do not join Twitter for the followers, and it is not a popularity contest. It is a way for teachers to spread the word about what they are passionate about and make connections to better serve our most precious commodity- our amazing students. During 2018, I plan on continuing to spread kindness and being the teacher I would want for my own children one day. I was blessed to have incredible teachers, and I want to be a teacher who goes out of her way to show kindness to others.
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In May, I took a risk and started to tweet. I had a Twitter before, but I never realized the educational impact it can have. It began with one Twitter chat which later led to several more such as #masterychat, #KidsDeserveIt, #joyfulleaders, #tlap, #122edchat, and #135edchat and the chat that I put together titled #MiddleLevelPDS. My professors have supported me in this process, and they gave me this opportunity to put together this chat which opened doors for me because it allowed me to share my passion with my peers and uplifted me in numerous ways. Without my professors allowing me to share my bit of "craziness" and venture beyond the status quo, I would not believe that a soft-spoken and quiet student like myself would begin to emerge as a type of leader.
I actually saw a tweet today that said "Obsessed is a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated". I have heard "obsessed with teaching" mentioned in reference to me a few times, but I like the fact that this gave me a different lens to view it through. It is not a bad thing to love teaching with all of my heart, but I also need to take care of myself and reflect on where I am in order to see where I need to go. I would rather do things with passion, and that is something that I strive to do. I realize that I may not be a typical teacher candidate due to utilizing Twitter as a pre-service teacher, but I am glad that I did not just make a Twitter profile and leave it at that. It does take time to go on daily chats and scroll through the feed, but it always leaves me feeling uplifted and re-energized. @SteeleThoughts tweeted "Twitter encourages me. It reminds me that there are others out there who view education the way I do -- who are equally passionate about the work we do for kids". I believe this administrator summed the power of Twitter up perfectly. With my brain going in a million directions and being enthusiastic about my future as a teacher, Twitter gives me a chance to be "Ms. Jachymiak" and to really learn from teachers who have paved the way for me to be the best teacher I can be. We have many resources available to us nowadays, and it would be silly for me to not take advantage of these incredible support systems that are put into place. George Couros tweeted a while ago "What if all teachers tweeted once a day about something they did in their classrooms and took five minutes to read other teachers' tweets?" I feel like this is a direction education needs to go towards, and I feel like it does start with pre-service teachers. Some teachers are resistant to using social media for education, and I was hesitant as well until I felt like I fit in and could gain a lot from diving in. I am trying to make a change, and it is nice to have support from teachers all over that inspire me and welcome me in as a pre-service teacher. Just yesterday, Roman Nowak (@NowakRo) tweeted "Susan, your future school will be lucky to have you. I hope they all fight for you", and that made my day. It showed me that my passion for teaching is being noticed and that taking a small step in the right direction can go a long way. I have had amazing professors at ISU which is the entire Middle Level Faculty such as Dr. Weilbacher, Dr. Hurd, Dr. Hatch, and Dr. Mertens who have each inspired me in different ways. I just aim to make them proud because they worked so hard to get this program running. They give endlessly, and I love sharing what I learned in the education program on Twitter and sharing tweets based on my own personal experiences. Every single one of my professors has touched my life in more ways than one, and I am grateful that they were a part of my journey. Looking towards the future, I am excited to moderate another pre-service chat in May and will actually be moderating #122edchat in May as well. I am beyond blessed for the opportunities I have, and I do not view myself as an inspiration, but it humbles me when people describe me as one. In my opinion, I am just a young teacher who genuinely cares and wants to make education better because kids deserve it. I started to read "Culturize" by Jimmy Casas, and I must say that this book has intensified my passion for teaching. I was a good student growing up but what I lacked was confidence in myself and my abilities. Throughout the years, I began to gain that confidence, but that could not have been possible without the support of teachers/ professors who paved the way for me.
This book has pulled on my heartstrings in a good way, and it made me think about my future as a teacher. As a teacher, it is easy to get lost, at times, due to the current educational system, and even as a pre-service teacher, I have felt discouraged at times due to the current state of education, but the thing that keeps me going is the hope that I, somehow, can make a change. In "Pray" by Justin Bieber, he stated "I have a vision to make a difference, and it is starting today". Even though quoting Justin Bieber is random in a blog pertaining to education, this quote resonates with me because it reminds me that I have the power to change things. I do not want the educational system to remain stagnant because, after all, our students deserve the best education. I had a professor tell me that teachers, like Jaime Escalante, tend to burn out and talked to me about the fact that I cannot be a savior to all students. This book mentioned that as well, and although I have this newfound enthusiasm which is great, I need to realize that I cannot save all of my students, but like Jimmy Casas said, that does not give me an excuse to not try. Just like I have high expectations for myself, I need to have high expectations for my students as well, and I need to show them that I am invested. I care deeply about my students, and another quote that stood out to me was "No one went into teaching to be average, and those who were had simply lost their way". This was deep, and it really made me think about myself as a teacher. I have been inspired by teachers like Rae Hughart (@RaeHughart) who, by the way, is an incredible educator that deserves a follow due to always goes above and beyond. She pushes me to be anything but average, and although some teachers are complacent due to being stuck in their ways, as a new teacher, I do not want to be just a teacher because I do not believe that any teacher is just a teacher. I have the power to rise above, and that is what I plan on doing. I want to truly teach from the heart. I decided to reflect on my experience thus far in the Middle Level Program. I have completed numerous clinical hours, and I have been in a 6th grade math classroom since August which is where I will be doing my student teaching. I have been a part of the PDS program which is a full year internship, and I am so grateful for that opportunity; however, although I am excited about the future, I am also filled with anticipation about what my future will hold.
I have been inspired by multiple teachers and professors who paved the way for my success, and I am blessed to have such a huge support system ranging from my family and peers to adults who believed in me and saw my potential. My CT will be out for 6 weeks due to having a surgery, and I will be fully taking over the classroom under the guidance of another CT during that time period. I have already started creating a student teaching binder, and I am going to include a copy of the notes, homework, and exit slips so that I can be fully prepared to the best of my ability. This is the time when I really get the chance to practice being a teacher, in a sense, and, although I have experience and Twitter has helped me grow my PLN, the doubts still exist from time to time. During my junior year internship, I broke down in front of my supervisor because I was overwhelmed, and that made me feel incompetent and worried about whether or not I could be successful in this career, but through it all, I kept going and pushed myself further which paid off. I grew a lot this year thus far, and my CT has allowed me to try new technology such as plickers, quizzizz, and nearpod which I have been fortunate to try out because, through it all, I know which tech tools I like utilizing, and I am able to reflect on whether or not using a certain tool benefits my students. I started this blog because I wanted to get my thoughts down. As a pre-service teacher, my mind already has many tabs open, and I have been learning about a lot of resources/ tools that I want to generate a list of so that I have a toolkit for next year. I plan on being more reflective in 2018 because I want to look back and see how far I have grown throughout my student teaching and during my first few years. As a part of student teaching, I am doing weekly reflections, but I plan on taking at least half an hour a day to get my thoughts down on this blog at the end of my day so that I can take time to reflect on what went well and what I need to improve. I realize that I will make mistakes because that is part of being human, but the important thing is to catch those mistakes early on so that I can try to become the best teacher I can be. I am passionate about this career, and I have always wanted to teach, so I am genuinely excited about my future and where this career will take me. I am just starting out, and I have a long way to go, but I am grateful for my amazing Twitter PLN who has inspired me beyond my dreams. If I fall, I know they will be there to pick me up and help me keep going. When I am surrounded by so many amazing educators, how can I not be inspired? |
AuthorMy name is Ms. Jachymiak, and I am a pre-service teacher currently attending Illinois State University. This blog follows my journey as a student teacher. @MsJachymiak Archives
May 2018
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