Sage Advice

I started reading the book and almost couldn't stop. I really liked the casual way in which the information was presented. Mr. Burke always provided really helpful answers and included lots of additional resources for her to read. It really made me want a mentor to write to during my first year (*cough cough Dr. Benson =p).

Managing a Class of 35

I really liked how he emphasized the importance of being empathetic to the students. It is really important to understand where the students are coming from. Sometimes it is hard to understand why students are acting the way that they are in our classes. I try and think back to when I was a student to help me understand what they are going through. I decided to become a teacher when I was an angsty student because teachers weren't listening to me. I really want to implement students' interests in my teaching.

Creating a Teaching Unit

In this section I really like Burke's stress on the importance of creativity. I feel like teachers need to remember to use their skills and creative talents in the classroom while also enhancing the creative skills of their students. That is the key to a successful classroom. When you combine it with student choice and interests you really can't fail. I like that he doesn't give her a specific answer but talks about the issues surrounding it so that she can discover how she should teach it on her own. It makes so much sense when he talks about The House on Mango Street. He really gives her a good example of bringing in the idea of community and threading it through the unit. It made it make so much sense the way he explained it. He would teach it so that the students were creative and interested while also thinking about their surroundings. Great stuff.

Handling Pressure

I liked this section. I put so much pressure on myself and always feel like I won't be good enough for my students. I really need to think more about how I can use those stresses to improve myself. I can see where I am struggling and instead of getting discouraged I should be using that information to make changes in my teaching. The truth is we are under a lot of pressure and we should be. We are teaching the next generation and we have a great affect on their thoughts and development. We need to use the pressure we are under and go with it instead of bulking under it.

Challenging Students and Meeting Their Challenges

I was glad that the teacher was willing to keep trying to work with the difficult student that she had. I really don't feel like she was empathizing with the student though. I guess I don't really understand because I always do very well with students who cause problems in my classes. I seem to understand them and am able to connect easily. I witnessed my host teacher really struggling with behavior issues last semester and so that has helped me see where teachers get stuck. It was hard for me too because of the policies she had in place in the classroom. Teachers need to be adaptable to the different classrooms and students they have. We can't expect our rules to work the same way for every student. I'm not saying we need to be lenient but we need to understand that students are different and they will need different classroom management at times. What is usually hard for me he talks about in this section too. I really struggle with the waiting period. I put a plan in place but it doesn't mean that there will be immediate changes, I have to wait. That is something I (and it seems like the teacher too) need to learn more about.

Knowing You Make a Difference

There were so many great points made in this section. I liked all the real-life examples he put into the section. It is hard to remember that we do make changes in our students that are good. I really like his four C's. I want to find his book that addresses them more in-depth. He also makes a point of talking about teacher reflection. That is the most important part of this section. I really saw how effective it was when we had to reflect last semester. It was very time-consuming but worth it after I went back and read how things were changing. I plan to reflect as much as possible in the future although probably not online. I think I would keep up better using paper.

I would have read more but Ashley had to borrow the book. =p I really like the way that the book was put together, and it is a resource I will be able to take off of my shelf and read again. I am looking forward to finishing the sections to see what other practical advice he has to offer her.