Blog Post 10

I have learned so much from the exercises and readings that were needed to complete these blog posts.  I remember reading a quote in our Education Foundations textbook: “A great teacher can offer an escape from poverty, to the child who dreams beyond his or her circumstances.”  That quote has really stuck with me throughout my entries.  Through Ayers readings and my blog posts, it is important for me, as a future teacher, to continue to be an explorer, on a journey with my students.  As a result, another emerging theme is building bridges.   An emergent theme in my blog posts is teaching with creativity and passion, instead of just teaching to the test.  Teachers should listen, connect with their students and learn about their student’s interests.  What I believe now, is that observation inspires good teaching and it is needed to uncover a child’s point of view or understanding.  Doing so, will provide me with a new perspective and help me approach the world with openness.  Going through my posts, I understand that teachers need to see, rather than judge and dismiss.  I never realized how a classroom could set the tone for a teacher.  When I am a teacher, I would like to build a space, where students could explore and be themselves; a place where students’ differences and beliefs are celebrated.  A concern of mine throughout my blog is the banking concept of education.  I learned more about this after Freire’s readings.  Students are getting information deposited into them, with the lack of creativity, transformation and knowledge.  My blog posts discuss how knowledge emerges through invention and reinvention.  As a teacher, I want to encourage my students to think critically and be creative.  I understand that, in order to do this, I must not depend on anyone, but myself to be trained and retrained.  Greatness in teaching requires a serious encounter with autobiography.  Although standardized tests have been a main focus, I have learned that a test score does not define the teacher or the student -- Summerhill School is the perfect example of that.  As Ayers has stated, “Every student and teacher is an entire universe.  The relationship and interaction is what makes learning come to life.”