To begin, it is obvious that teachers are affected by their personal experiences, knowledge and values. Zeichner & Liston (2013) shared their experiences, for example, they were taught the value of inquiry, and this value influenced them when they were teaching. I had similar thoughts regarding my remembrances of the time when I was teaching Chinese in kindergarten. I frequently used the words, “good”, “great” in Chinese, repeating these praises many times in the class, because my elementary school teachers used those words often. Certainly, I was encouraged by those words and I believed my students would feel the same way that I felt receiving this positive reinforcement. Continuously, even now I use some strategies which are related to or have personally experienced in my past even though sometimes they do not work perfectly. According to Zeichner & Liston (2013), “although firsthand experience in schools is critical to the education of teachers, not all experience is necessarily beneficial”. I definitely agree with that. When I was teaching in middle school, I used the same curriculum in different classes in the same grade. Some classes worked well, unfortunately, some worked badly. When I encountered different out-of-the ordinary situations, I realized that I should appropriately correct the curriculum to be more appropriate for the given situation rather than continuously using the curriculum which according to my personal experience had worked in the past. However, I believe that if personal experiences are used appropriately, they can improve teachers’ management skills. Absolutely, my motivation of being a teacher is primarily related to my personal experiences. When I was young in school, I recognized the power of a teacher and how he/she can change students’ lives and attitudes, because I witnessed a math teacher helping and influencing a low-level student and finally seeing this student accepted by Tsing Hua University which is the top university in China. How amazing it was. Due to this teacher’s attitude and effort, he affected many students and most of them currently are PhD students or having distinguished careers. Although I was not taught by him, his attitudes and actions towards students had a great effect on me. I believe that every student has his/her own particular attribute which if recognized and encouraged to grow will permit that student to excel. Good teachers can most definitely extract and help develop these potentials which all students possess. I realized the power of teachers and concluded that I wanted to be a teacher. Even though my undergraduate major program was not education, I was a volunteer summer teacher in a suburb of Shanghai.
When it comes to the transmitted knowledge, I recall my experiences working with my co-teacher at middle school, and my colleague named Carol as well. Actually, before teaching Chinese, we did receive some training to prepare us to teach. Some professional teachers shared their experiences and strategies that we could use in the classrooms, and it provided many opportunities for novice teachers to share their teaching problems so that the professional teachers could help them find solutions. In fact, I learned a lot from Carol who is one of the Chinese teachers in the institute. In previous reflections, I have shared several situations that I encountered. It was Carol that helped me resolve the problems and gave me many suggestions. Moreover, I had some opportunities to observe her classes and I always took notes and asked her how to organize the class using her methods. For example, when I was teaching the last lesson of Chinese language, I just distributed question sheets for the students to complete. Compared to Carol’s summary, my method was very boring. Carol did the summary in another way, she created a map which was a Chinese learning journey for students (all that they had learned during the Chinese session). Students played a game while at the same time reviewed their Chinese language class. Later on, I used this map and conducted students in playing games. Consequently, the effect was good. According to Zeichner & Liston (2013), “teachers can use external knowledge as schemata that can help them grasp in descriptive and explanatory ways certain aspects of their work that were previously inaccessible”. My motivation secondly of being a teacher is that I want to be a better person and make a contribution to my world. I think the world is so complicated and schools are the greatest place to work. Maybe I am biased because I have benefited so much from many teachers and instructors, including teaching skills, teaching strategies, and management. I am maturing in this journey and there is no doubt that I am a better person than before. I recognized that teaching does not only help students but also helps teachers. “Teachers and students are all learners”. I am learning how to be a better teacher, as well as a better learner.
I am curious to know exactly what are the values of teachers. I think most teachers know the difference between good and bad. As we know, values significantly influence teachers, according to Zeichner & Liston (2013), “the value affect how we (teachers) interpret and react to our experiences and how we look at and examine transmitted knowledge and, as a result, affect how we teach and interact with students and colleagues”. I strongly agree with the author’s idea. Due to my personal experiences and knowledge transmitted to me from my colleagues, my values are established and fermented. I think I am progressing along the path of cultivating myself to become an effective and reflective teacher. I cherish my students, teachers, and colleagues, moreover, my values are sincere in regards to teaching including treating students equally, and having positive attitudes towards life, believing in the power of education, etc. Obviously, my values propel me to become a successful teacher. I believe education has great effect on humans and I believe teachers are instrumental in changing students for the better as well as contributing to the betterment of human beings as a whole.
As far as I am concerned, it is very difficult for students, even for teachers to speak truthfully, especially in modern society. According to Uhl and Stuchul (2011), “Truth-speaking is particularly difficult because we have been conditioned – in our families, through the media, and in our schools – to believe that we must dilute our personal truth in order to be accepted by others.” Naturally for me, I dare not to speak truth no matter who I am, as a teacher or as a student. It is risk-taking. As a teacher, I dare not to speak the truth because sometimes it may hurt a student’s emotion or dignity. As a student, I dare not to truth speak because I am afraid of being blamed and criticized. In my case, as a graduate student, I dare not to express my feeling too much in the classroom because I don't want to affect the flow of the classroom activities or affect my classmates. I still remember the time that one of my instructors asked me how I felt during the class break. She told me she could sense how tired I was. At that time, I did not speak truthfully. I responded “I am pretty good, just a little sleepy.” It was surprising that I got an email from this instructor after the class, and she shared her observations and thoughts about me and my efforts in the class. And of course she encouraged me and offered her help in my needs to complete the assignment. I could sense how she cared about me and I felt warm and touched. It made me believe that she is trustworthy and I replied to her to tell her how I felt in the class and why I had those feelings. I confess that this class is challenging for me. I need more time to read the articles. Later on, based on this situation, the relationship – truth - between this instructor and me has been established. Because I trust her, I tell her what I think from my heart not from my head. I dare to speak truth with this instructor because she is reliable and I trust her.
I definitely teach with my emotions. However, I do not know how to judge which emotions contribute in a positive way or those that have a negative effect. As the author asserts, “these emotional and cognitive responses come from the teacher’s experiences, background knowledge, and values, and their everyday enactment can affect the teacher’s professional and personal identity” (Zeichner & Liston, 2013). When I faced a frustrated situation, my emotions permitted me to have a positive attitude towards students even though I could not handle the disastrous situation. I am a straightforward and energetic human, so I seldom give up even if my rationality is telling me that giving up would be the reasonable action. Additionally, I love kids, students, people and I love teaching Chinese language and art. All these emotions fill my mind and motivate me to teach and become a better teacher. I know the world can be a cruel and unfair place and I am aware that most teachers are not rewarded with monetary rewards but the satisfaction of knowing you have made a contribution to the world can compensate for low salaries. I cannot say that every teacher is emotionally suited to be a good teacher, but I believe most teachers are encouraged and motivated by their emotions – passions, love, and sincerity, as I am.
Reference:
Zeichner, K. M., & Liston, D. P. (2013). Reflective teaching: An introduction. Routledge.
Uhl, C., & Stuchul, D. L. (2011). Teaching as if life matters: The promise of a new education culture. JHU Press.
When it comes to the transmitted knowledge, I recall my experiences working with my co-teacher at middle school, and my colleague named Carol as well. Actually, before teaching Chinese, we did receive some training to prepare us to teach. Some professional teachers shared their experiences and strategies that we could use in the classrooms, and it provided many opportunities for novice teachers to share their teaching problems so that the professional teachers could help them find solutions. In fact, I learned a lot from Carol who is one of the Chinese teachers in the institute. In previous reflections, I have shared several situations that I encountered. It was Carol that helped me resolve the problems and gave me many suggestions. Moreover, I had some opportunities to observe her classes and I always took notes and asked her how to organize the class using her methods. For example, when I was teaching the last lesson of Chinese language, I just distributed question sheets for the students to complete. Compared to Carol’s summary, my method was very boring. Carol did the summary in another way, she created a map which was a Chinese learning journey for students (all that they had learned during the Chinese session). Students played a game while at the same time reviewed their Chinese language class. Later on, I used this map and conducted students in playing games. Consequently, the effect was good. According to Zeichner & Liston (2013), “teachers can use external knowledge as schemata that can help them grasp in descriptive and explanatory ways certain aspects of their work that were previously inaccessible”. My motivation secondly of being a teacher is that I want to be a better person and make a contribution to my world. I think the world is so complicated and schools are the greatest place to work. Maybe I am biased because I have benefited so much from many teachers and instructors, including teaching skills, teaching strategies, and management. I am maturing in this journey and there is no doubt that I am a better person than before. I recognized that teaching does not only help students but also helps teachers. “Teachers and students are all learners”. I am learning how to be a better teacher, as well as a better learner.
I am curious to know exactly what are the values of teachers. I think most teachers know the difference between good and bad. As we know, values significantly influence teachers, according to Zeichner & Liston (2013), “the value affect how we (teachers) interpret and react to our experiences and how we look at and examine transmitted knowledge and, as a result, affect how we teach and interact with students and colleagues”. I strongly agree with the author’s idea. Due to my personal experiences and knowledge transmitted to me from my colleagues, my values are established and fermented. I think I am progressing along the path of cultivating myself to become an effective and reflective teacher. I cherish my students, teachers, and colleagues, moreover, my values are sincere in regards to teaching including treating students equally, and having positive attitudes towards life, believing in the power of education, etc. Obviously, my values propel me to become a successful teacher. I believe education has great effect on humans and I believe teachers are instrumental in changing students for the better as well as contributing to the betterment of human beings as a whole.
As far as I am concerned, it is very difficult for students, even for teachers to speak truthfully, especially in modern society. According to Uhl and Stuchul (2011), “Truth-speaking is particularly difficult because we have been conditioned – in our families, through the media, and in our schools – to believe that we must dilute our personal truth in order to be accepted by others.” Naturally for me, I dare not to speak truth no matter who I am, as a teacher or as a student. It is risk-taking. As a teacher, I dare not to speak the truth because sometimes it may hurt a student’s emotion or dignity. As a student, I dare not to truth speak because I am afraid of being blamed and criticized. In my case, as a graduate student, I dare not to express my feeling too much in the classroom because I don't want to affect the flow of the classroom activities or affect my classmates. I still remember the time that one of my instructors asked me how I felt during the class break. She told me she could sense how tired I was. At that time, I did not speak truthfully. I responded “I am pretty good, just a little sleepy.” It was surprising that I got an email from this instructor after the class, and she shared her observations and thoughts about me and my efforts in the class. And of course she encouraged me and offered her help in my needs to complete the assignment. I could sense how she cared about me and I felt warm and touched. It made me believe that she is trustworthy and I replied to her to tell her how I felt in the class and why I had those feelings. I confess that this class is challenging for me. I need more time to read the articles. Later on, based on this situation, the relationship – truth - between this instructor and me has been established. Because I trust her, I tell her what I think from my heart not from my head. I dare to speak truth with this instructor because she is reliable and I trust her.
I definitely teach with my emotions. However, I do not know how to judge which emotions contribute in a positive way or those that have a negative effect. As the author asserts, “these emotional and cognitive responses come from the teacher’s experiences, background knowledge, and values, and their everyday enactment can affect the teacher’s professional and personal identity” (Zeichner & Liston, 2013). When I faced a frustrated situation, my emotions permitted me to have a positive attitude towards students even though I could not handle the disastrous situation. I am a straightforward and energetic human, so I seldom give up even if my rationality is telling me that giving up would be the reasonable action. Additionally, I love kids, students, people and I love teaching Chinese language and art. All these emotions fill my mind and motivate me to teach and become a better teacher. I know the world can be a cruel and unfair place and I am aware that most teachers are not rewarded with monetary rewards but the satisfaction of knowing you have made a contribution to the world can compensate for low salaries. I cannot say that every teacher is emotionally suited to be a good teacher, but I believe most teachers are encouraged and motivated by their emotions – passions, love, and sincerity, as I am.
Reference:
Zeichner, K. M., & Liston, D. P. (2013). Reflective teaching: An introduction. Routledge.
Uhl, C., & Stuchul, D. L. (2011). Teaching as if life matters: The promise of a new education culture. JHU Press.