Barone Blog #3

Routman Chapter 12

This chapter was very enlightening for me. Learning how to spend time in the most meaningful ways and to live an interesting life is just so inspiring! As teachers we always want things to be easy and efficient but it doesn’t always work out like that! As someone who loves reading, I often get very overwhelmed with resources. There is always some new person or strategy to read about in the education field and I find that I want to read everything in hopes to learn and apply and just end up overwhelmed. We need to know what to use and what to ignore. Sometimes the best lessons don’t have to take hours of planning and preparation. I love the connecting their learning to their lives and making their work meaningful. Some students need to know why they are learning what they are learning. This is important that as teachers we address this for them. Just like us, they want reasons for things and deserve the answers. Once they understand why, they will be more willing to learn and have a purpose for their learning. When I was a student this was very important for me when it came to math. Still to this day, I feel that I really haven’t used a lot of those infamous math skills that I was always asking when and why I would needJ

                I just love all the refreshing and motivating advice in this chapter. It encourages us as teachers to keep a lively classroom where students are constantly interested and engaged. I love the idea of stopping at the high point of a lesson and leaving the students engaged and wanting more! One point that really hit home was to fight for more time for those that struggle. Our kids get pulled out so much, and I know that they need the services that they are getting pulled out for, but they also need more time to be engaged in the classroom with all their peers! I also loved how the chapter encourages teacher to make time to grow professionally. It says that our enthusiasm for learning directly affects our student’s achievement and I couldn’t agree more. I love learning and growing, especially when I am passionate about my profession. Reading and collaborating with peers helps me grow in many ways. There is always such little time in the day but I make sure that I am constantly improving and growing in some way. I love the quote by Daniel Pennac, “If you have to ask yourself where you’ll find the time, the desire isn’t there.” This is so true. When we are passionate about something we can always find the time and resources that we need!