Which of these three "traditions" best describes your beliefs about your roles as an English teacher?
The third tradition, focusing on the child and not the subject, I found to be what I agreed with most. Every individual learns differently and this is a known fact but many teachers fail to adjust for each student.
In my own experience, I work for Ivy Tech as a Disability Support Technician and I have had several talks with teachers who have students struggling because their learning style is different from the teacher's. Students, especially with learning disabilities, have difficulties expressing how they learn because sometimes they are not even sure themselves. As a teacher, it is important to focus on all students instead of using a cookie cutter approach that everyone should fit.
Again from personal experience, I was home schooled partially for this reason as well. When I was in the fourth grade, my grades began to slip. I received a "D" in English and this concerned my parents. At the parent teacher conference when my parents asked the teacher, she said that I had difficulty staying engaged in the course work. I still remember the story that we had to read because I remember seeing the illustrations. Once I told my parents the other problems I was having in school, they decided I should take some tests to see what level I was learning at. It turns out I was reading at a higher level and the other material didn't catch my attention because I wasn't learning anything new. My school also didn't offer anything for "gifted" students or really even advanced readers.
I believe it is so important as a teacher to be aware of the teaching environment they create in a classroom. If a student is receiving bad grades, when they typically are an A+ student, there has to be a reason behind it. It can change that student's life. I feel that students who are not engaged in learning are at risk. Also, students who have undiagnosed learning disabilities are equally at risk.
I work with non-traditional students at Ivy Tech and before I began working with students that had diagnosed disabilities, I was just a general English tutor. Two women I worked with, who had just been laid off from Whirlpool and had children older than I was, were my first students. They had gone from high school to Whirlpool and had never been encouraged in their English courses at school. It was all about grammar and so they learned instead to hate English.
When I first started working with them, they had difficulty with just knowing the difference between nouns and verbs. Then, they started to read more regularly. Just the fact that they began to read more, dramatically benefited their writing. I worked with them for two and a half years on and off and before they both graduated with their welding degrees, they could write a paper in any class.
It wasn't that I was this wonderful tutor, they just needed some one who wasn't making them feel like they didn't know anything and shaming them for mistakes, to tell them they were smart. Really, all some students need is a "good job!" That is probably the most valuable lesson I have learned because the attitude of the teacher does make a difference. Recognizing that everyone is different and then making them feel proud of their accomplishments gives students of any age a future.
Staying engaged in school work makes a huge difference in a student's life. Had my parents not decided to take me out of school and do an at home based curriculum, I would have continued to do poorly in school. It could have damaged a lot more than my education. With some students, it damages their self worth and causes them to feel "stupid" when in fact they are far from it. Then, when it comes time for high school and college, they lack the motivation and confidence.
The third tradition, focusing on the child and not the subject, I found to be what I agreed with most. Every individual learns differently and this is a known fact but many teachers fail to adjust for each student.
In my own experience, I work for Ivy Tech as a Disability Support Technician and I have had several talks with teachers who have students struggling because their learning style is different from the teacher's. Students, especially with learning disabilities, have difficulties expressing how they learn because sometimes they are not even sure themselves. As a teacher, it is important to focus on all students instead of using a cookie cutter approach that everyone should fit.
Again from personal experience, I was home schooled partially for this reason as well. When I was in the fourth grade, my grades began to slip. I received a "D" in English and this concerned my parents. At the parent teacher conference when my parents asked the teacher, she said that I had difficulty staying engaged in the course work. I still remember the story that we had to read because I remember seeing the illustrations. Once I told my parents the other problems I was having in school, they decided I should take some tests to see what level I was learning at. It turns out I was reading at a higher level and the other material didn't catch my attention because I wasn't learning anything new. My school also didn't offer anything for "gifted" students or really even advanced readers.
I believe it is so important as a teacher to be aware of the teaching environment they create in a classroom. If a student is receiving bad grades, when they typically are an A+ student, there has to be a reason behind it. It can change that student's life. I feel that students who are not engaged in learning are at risk. Also, students who have undiagnosed learning disabilities are equally at risk.
I work with non-traditional students at Ivy Tech and before I began working with students that had diagnosed disabilities, I was just a general English tutor. Two women I worked with, who had just been laid off from Whirlpool and had children older than I was, were my first students. They had gone from high school to Whirlpool and had never been encouraged in their English courses at school. It was all about grammar and so they learned instead to hate English.
When I first started working with them, they had difficulty with just knowing the difference between nouns and verbs. Then, they started to read more regularly. Just the fact that they began to read more, dramatically benefited their writing. I worked with them for two and a half years on and off and before they both graduated with their welding degrees, they could write a paper in any class.
It wasn't that I was this wonderful tutor, they just needed some one who wasn't making them feel like they didn't know anything and shaming them for mistakes, to tell them they were smart. Really, all some students need is a "good job!" That is probably the most valuable lesson I have learned because the attitude of the teacher does make a difference. Recognizing that everyone is different and then making them feel proud of their accomplishments gives students of any age a future.
Staying engaged in school work makes a huge difference in a student's life. Had my parents not decided to take me out of school and do an at home based curriculum, I would have continued to do poorly in school. It could have damaged a lot more than my education. With some students, it damages their self worth and causes them to feel "stupid" when in fact they are far from it. Then, when it comes time for high school and college, they lack the motivation and confidence.