Blog Post #9 Mr. McClung's Reflections

First Year Reflection
What I've Learned This Year (2008 - 2009)
The first year for a teacher is usually the most difficult but at the same time the most rewarding. Mr. McClung's first year was no exception. He learned so many important things his first year and thankfully is willing to share them. Mr. McClung learned that he is not the center of the universe but rather his students are. He learned the importance of communication both with his students as well as with his colleagues. He learned that flexibility is a must in the classroom and that there will always be a difference between the lesson you plan and the one you actually teach. McClung offers a ton of other advice for the first year teacher including, not setting unreasonable goals for students, really listening to students, to not be afraid of but rather to embrace technology, and finally to never stop learning.
I really enjoyed reading Mr. McClung's first year reflection and it took me back to my first year as a techer. Yes, my first year was my toughest but it was also my most rewarding. I can second the advice Mr. McClung gives to first year teachers. I would take it a step further and suggest that one of the most critical and rewarding aspects of teaching is the development of strong teacher/student relationships. Strong relationships between teachers and students will go a long way towards making teaching a love rather than a job or chore. Resourceful teachers can find a myriad of ways of using these relationships in their everyday teaching.

Third Year Reflection
What I've Learned This Year -Vol. 4 (2011 - 2012)
In his third year as a teacher Mr. McClung had fewer lessons to share with his readers. This is understandable due to the huge learning curve first year teachers are faced with. In this reflection Mr. McClung deals with two areas he feels like were learning points for the year. First, for some reason in his third year, Mr. McClung began to worry about what his teacher peers thought of him as an educator. It sounds like he not only worried about it but became mildly obsessed. In the end however, Mr. McClung was able to refocus his attention on what was important, his students. This refocusing, allowed him to come to the realization that it did not matter what his peers thought. The second thing he struggled with during his third year was complacency. He found himself relying on old lesson plans and realized that he was not being as creative as he once was. This realization spurred him to make the decision to fight his complacency and work harder to be a more creative teacher and insure that his students enjoyed his classes.
Mr. McClung's third year reflection could have been a page taken out of my own life. I have been teaching for seven years and a couple of years ago my school began 360 peer reviews. Basically what happens with these reviews is that you are critiqued by your students, peers and superiors in a process that is supposed to make you realize where your strengths and weaknesses lie. During this process though I became similarly obsessed with what my peers thought to the point that it became distracting. I had to reach the same conclusion that Mr. McClung did, that as long as I was focusing on my students, and doing the best job I could to teach them what they needed, my peers opinions didn't matter. I have also struggled with complacency as did Mr. McClung. I found myself skating along using the same material from year to year with out realizing what I was doing. I had to make a conscious effort, it wasn't easy, to become the teacher I once was but it has been worth it! I am also going to be teaching at a different level when I go back next year and I am eager for the challenge!