As I’ve gotten older I have become much more comfortable leading in a more vocal manner. I think anybody that has been a teacher or gone through teacher preparation courses will attest to the fact that you quickly become very comfortable with talking to groups of people. However, my preferred leadership style is to lead by example. When you are playing a sport, it’s easy to lead by example. You just go out there and work harder than everybody else and never give up. However, what does it mean to lead by example when you are a teacher? What can I do in the classroom to be a leader for my students without actually saying anything to them?

1. Have excellent work habits: Being on time for class and treating instructional time as sacred are two actions that seem to speak the loudest. If I can show my students that I respect their time enough not to waste it with useless work, I can hold them to the same level of respect as well. Also, returning homework and papers promptly with helpful feedback is another way I can demonstrate what their work habits should be like.

2. Be prepared: By being well prepared for class I can show my students that I care enough about my responsibility as a teacher and them as students to put in the effort before I even get to class. For me, this means making sure that my classroom materials are ready ahead of time, look professional, and are not solely supplied by the textbook. If a student can come to class and tell that I have put in a significant amount of time splicing together several different clips into one coherent 3 minute video instead of fast-forwarding and changing tapes for each individual clip, I think they are left with a much more positive impression. If I have ensured that my Power Point presentation is well-formatted, easy to read, and logical I have shown that I respect my students enough to care about the ease of reading my material.

3. Follow-up when I say I will: This will show my students the importance of being reliable and trustworthy. If somebody asks a question in class and I don’t know it and promise to look it up for them later, I need to make sure I do that and come back with an answer. I can’t expect the student to remind me or ask about it again; it should only take one question and I should return with an answer. This also includes things such as remembering details about my students to the point where I can ask them specific questions about their life. Taking the time to follow-up on something they have told me shows the importance of respect.

4. Promote learning for the sake of learning: In my classrooms I hope to promote learning, of any subject or topic, at all times. I am a very curious individual and I love many subjects other than social studies. I will not shy away from discussing other topics in class (without wasting too much time, of course) if a student shows interest in it. If I’m actually a good social studies teacher, I should probably be able to find a way to relate it to my discipline anyway.

5. Exhibiting critical thinking skills in class: If there is one skill that I hope my students enhance by spending time in my classroom it is the ability to think critically. I can explain what this means and provide terminology until my face turns blue, but unless I actively live what I preach it will mean nothing. I think this will consist of me asking students to elaborate on their answers as much as possible, challenging correct and wrong answers alike, and asking critical questions about the trustworthiness of sources. Also, if I can model how to poke holes in faulty logic (especially if it is the accepted logic), I think that will provide a very good example for my students.

Leading by example means practicing what you preach. That is not always the easiest thing to do but I think some of the best leaders in the world make use of this strategy. Anybody can talk but it takes a dedicated individual to back up their talk with action.

However, I think this principle can be applied to social studies as well. What can social studies teachers do to “be less helpful?” I think it might begin with the willingness to ask open ended questions that don’t necessarily have a right or wrong answer. Forming these questions and then allowing students the latitude to research and develop their own ideas (while logically supporting them) can be a useful way to break them of the habit of regurgitating what they hear in class. Provide the conceptual knowledge and basic information in class and then ask students to rearrange that information in a unique way.

I think being less helpful also lies in the way I, as a teacher, respond to answers given in class. Dan talks about this in his talk; about how the “wrong answer face” and “right answer face” I give students needs to be the same. If I challenge every answer the same way, regardless of it’s accuracy, I can help students develop the habit of supporting their answers with logic and research. Tied to this idea is asking questions that challenge accepted answers. Getting students to question what they thought they knew might also be an accurate way of making myself less useful and them better students.

Most assuredly, I know what NOT “being less helpful” is about. It is not giving students questions, a textbook, and a class period of free time. That is nothing more than cruel babysitting and while technically not helpful, not the kind of “not helpful” I’m looking for.

Veteran social studies teachers, what do you think you can do to be “less helpful” to your students? Is it even worth doing?

A good starting point would probably be trying to understand why it is that I enjoy the subject. First and definitely foremost, I see this discipline as a nearly infinite number of personal biographies that interact with each other to form our history. History is nothing more than the amalgamation of personal biographies. When you break it down like this, the focus becomes on people, not dates or places. In my opinion, people’s stories are much more interesting and captivating than the dry facts that many history classes are built around.

The historical figures that live large in our textbooks and lessons were humans just like you, me and our students. They may have lived in a different time period but they experienced the same emotions and concerns that many of us face on a daily basis. I think the more that we can stress the humanity of these historic people the more we can help our students relate.

Reading a series of biographies on Theodore Roosevelt is what got me thinking about this topic a little bit more deeply. I’m not sure how a student could not find this person absolutely fascinating if they were forced to grapple with Teddy at some sort of personal level. I know that most students would balk at having to read a biography as an assignment, let alone in their own free-time, but there must be some way as teachers that we can help bring these people alive in our classrooms.

History is written through the lives of incredibly interesting people who did incredible things. They had very real and familiar emotions, desires, vices, and motivations that are not foreign to our students, regardless of the era in which they lived. It is absurd to me that a discipline built by incredible individuals has the reputation of dry facts and rote memorization. What can we do as a profession to bring the power of biography alive?

What have you done to bring the power of biography alive in your classroom? What individuals have you focused on as you do so?

My proposal is that students be required to learn a system similar to this while they are in high school. I think it is absurd that we espouse the need to prepare students for the “real-world” yet many (if not most) graduate high school with no idea about how to keep themselves organized. Sure, many students figure out systems that work for them during high school, but this seems like a large and important enough problem that students should not be left to their own devices. I’m not proposing that high schools across the country become “indoctrination centers” for the GTD philosophy– I really don’t care what brand of management system they want to teach. Heck, I’d be fine with students developing their own systems if they can justify why they are doing what they are and can prove that it works for them.

The main argument against this, I’m sure, is the lack of time throughout the school day to dedicate time to something like this. With the emphasis on standardized testing within the core subjects I can understand that there is very little time left for anything “extra.” However, I know that some high schools have “study hall” periods. Where I went to high school, freshmen were required to take an Academic Center (AC) period in which they were placed in a classroom with a mentor teacher that would provide help with homework. After the freshman year, students were no longer required to take an AC, but it was highly recommended. I see no reason why mentor teachers couldn’t spend two days a week teaching the basics of a personal management system while allowing the remaining three days to be used on homework. Obviously, the mentor teachers would have to be trained in whatever system they would be teaching. Not only would this benefit the students and prepare them for a life outside the classroom, but from what I can tell, many teachers could benefit from some kind of organizational system in their own professional lives.

There are other options for introducing this concept to student including semester long elective courses or perhaps piggy-backing onto other classes (home economics?). I just believe that being able to keep oneself organized and productive is such a crucial part of being a good student and a high-functioning adult that I think it’s about time the public school system provide some guidance and leadership.

I have never seen this question addressed. I ask because I am fairly proud of the reflection and musing I do at this blog. It helps me work through professional problems and questions while being able to get feedback from veteran teachers. I think it helps show my reflective nature and my drive to be a great teacher. I write about this stuff because I care about it. I use my real name on this blog because I’m not prepared to write anything that I don’t honestly believe or am ready to defend.

However, despite all the positive things this blog says about me as an individual (I think), I don’t currently have it listed anywhere on my resume. I don’t know where I should put it if I did. I’m also afraid that administrators may see the word “blog” on my resume and jump to conclusions about my professionalism. I’m not sure how it would be viewed by somebody reviewing my resume. Would they actually take the time to browse through my site?

I think I’m leaning toward the side of throwing it in there and seeing what comes of it. As long as listing it won’t hurt me, it shouldn’t take more than a line or two in my resume and if they do actually take the time to read some of the articles I have written, I can’t help but think it would help me. I try to be as professional and honest as possible in everything I write for this blog. I guess the main problem would be if an administrator were to read something that they disagree with in terms of teaching philosophy or how I have conducted myself. Honestly, I think that any administrator worth their salt would overlook possible differences in teaching style or philosophy if they realized that I write about this stuff because I want to be better at it. I want to get feedback and I want to improve every time I step foot in the classroom. Writing and reflecting about my experiences on this blog is my outlet for my own professional development. Shouldn’t that commitment and dedication to my craft show up somewhere in my resume?

What do you think? Should I include a link to my blog in my resume?

When I was student teaching I realized that I could almost always find something in common with my students. Sure, some were easier to forge a bond with than others, but I was usually successful in finding something that connected us. One specific example sticks in my mind:

I was having the students work on a project in the computer lab and everybody had finished a couple minutes early. As some students worked on other homework, some just chatted with their neighbor, and others started doing other things on the computers. One student, definitely one of the “nerds” (I say this as a proud nerd myself) opened up a drawing program and began working on an image. Up to this point I hadn’t really engaged him one on one outside of class because we did not appear to have too much in common. However, as soon as he opened up that program I could tell he was working on a drawing that was very obviously inspired by my favorite video game of all time, Final Fantasy 7. I very nonchalantly walked up to him and asked if that was the “Buster Sword” he was drawing. I swear that his jaw dropped a little bit as he replied, “No, yes, uh, wait, you know about Final Fantasy 7?” As I got a better look at it I was able to prove my legitimate knowledge of the video game by pointing out a technical aspect that showed it was not an identical rendering of the iconic sword, but just inspired by it. This led into a several minute conversation about the intricacies of the game with a student that had been mostly an uninterested observer in class.

After this conversation I won’t say that he suddenly became an all-star contributor in class. However, I did notice that he was at least more open to participating and answering questions.

If I were to give any advice to teachers (as if I should be giving advice) I would say that cultivating your own curious nature into becoming a very well-rounded individual will pay huge dividends in the connections you make with your students. Students can tell if you are faking interest in the things they care about. But if you can legitimately say that you’ve gone to a symphony and a rock concert in the same week, played video games like it was your job, read The Wheel of Time series, ran cross-country, played hockey in Hungary, and took AP Chemistry and AP World History you have a much better shot at finding something in common with these individuals that are in your charge everyday for an entire school year.

Chances are you are a teacher because you liked to learn. Don’t stop learning. Don’t stop growing. Your students will thank you.

I’m getting a lot of valuable experience in the classroom as I continue to sub. I’m making connections with other teachers and administrators. I’m continuing to write about my experiences and thoughts on teaching and education in general. All of these are steps in the right direction.

My main goal for 2010 is to land a full-time teaching job. I am going to continue subbing as much as possible for the remainder of this school year while continuing to make connections and contacts in the education community. I’m going to try to write on this blog at the pace of 1-2 articles per week. Most importantly, I’m going to do everything I can to keep my attitude toward the profession as positive as possible.

If the next school year rolls around and I still haven’t landed a full-time job in this area, I will have to reevaluate my plans. I’m really, really uninterested in moving out of the area as I have many connections to where I am now that I don’t want to lose. I’m helping coach a high school hockey team. I’m the head coach of a college club hockey team. My girlfriend has another year of school at Michigan State and all of my family lives in this immediate area. All of these are very important to me and I don’t think I’d be willing to relocate, give up my coaching jobs, and move away from everybody I care about for a teaching job. At least not right now.

Anyway, I’m getting ahead of myself. The focus right now is finding a job for next year and it IS going to happen (starting the positive thinking right now!).

With these more unruly classes, there are a couple things I try to make a conscious effort to do. First of all, before the class even starts, I try to talk to a couple kids and just get to know them a little bit. I ask them how their day is going, if they play any sports, etc. Then, as soon as the bell rings, I make sure to start class right away with a very loud and authoritative, “Alright let’s go! Find your seats!” Hopefully by not wasting any time I can set the tone right away that I expect them to use their time wisely. It at least gets them to quiet down so I can take attendance, introduce myself, and explain what we are doing. The last thing I have been focusing on, and I think this is the key component, is making myself be energetic and upbeat during these classes. Sometimes it is easy to get down on a class if I’ve already been warned that they are “bad.” So, even if I’m not feeling like it, I try to have a positive and sunny attitude. Obviously, this doesn’t mean that I’m overlooking bad behavior– I just try to let it bother me less.

I’m still figuring this subbing thing out, that’s for sure. I can’t help but think that I’m wasting my time when I spend a day supervising the taking of tests or the completion of worksheets. Every once in awhile, though, I’ll get a class that might be tougher to manage or control, but it helps me remember that there is a reason I want to be a teacher.

Photo by hoyasmeg

Also, I spent a few minutes talking to my best friend’s mom (also a teacher) about teaching and finding a job.  She has taught at many different levels and had some interesting insights for me.

Who can you talk to today that might further your career?  Is there a veteran teacher you can ask some questions of or a colleague that is willing to discuss pedagogy/your content/teaching/etc.?

My resume sucks. It really does; and I didn’t realize it until this meeting. My formatting sucked, my education “buzzwords” were non-existent, my non-relevant work experience dominated, and it was entirely too general. A big ole’ case of “blah.”

I’m thankful that she told me this without trying to sugarcoat anything. In fact, I could tell that she almost wanted to say, “Well no wonder you didn’t get a job this summer!” After quickly ripping apart the largest tool I have in landing a job, she had the courtesy to explain what I can do to make it better. The list is extensive, but I’m slowly plugging away at it. In fact, I decided to just start from complete scratch.

After the meeting, I began thinking about why I was so oblivious to the lameness of my resume. First of all, I think I completely underestimated how hard it would be to get a job. Sure, I knew the job market in Southeast Michigan was bad. I knew that the national recession was still going strong. I knew that secondary education social studies teachers were in high supply and low demand. Yet, I somehow thought that didn’t apply to me. Pretty much everything in my life has come fairly easily to me with a little bit of hard work. I didn’t think this would be any different from landing any of my high school jobs or my on-campus job during college. Just typing that sentence, however, makes me feel stupid. Really stupid.

Secondly, I originally wrote this resume as part of an assignment for one of my education classes. Looking back at it now, it almost looks like an assignment. I fulfilled the requirements but did little to nothing to sell myself as a competent teacher. This is the number one way for me to get my foot in the door at a school and it did nothing to help me stand apart from the droves of applications that I’m sure accompanied mine with every job opening. I can’t treat my resume like an assignment, like something that I’m being forced to do. It needs to be a document that is a physical manifestation of my personality and my own teaching style. That’s the main reason I decided to start from scratch instead of trying to salvage my original.

I know I’m a great teacher. At least, I know I have the potential, the drive, and the desire to become a great teacher. Put me in an interview and I will gladly talk about teaching and education with you for hours. I love it. I’m fully confident that I can do this job well. I need my resume to give me these opportunities so that I even have the chance to capitalize on them.

Photo by SOCIALisBETTER