Ronald Bovill's Blog – July 2009 Archive (29)

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" What Do You Want To Become?" :A Reflective Classroom Teacher 29

Thank you for reading my thoughts. I hope in some small part I have provided information that will make you a more effective teacher.

What are the goals you have set for your personal well being? The most frequent answers we receive from future teachers to that question are peace, joy, happiness and success in my personal and professional life. These are admirable goals that are worth pursuing. However, when we speak of what you want to become, we speak of a much deeper connotation. How is… Continue

Added by Ronald Bovill on July 23, 2009 at 6:42am — No Comments

" Summers Off" :A Reflective Classroom Teacher 28

We envy those of you who are just starting this venture. We truly wish that we were just starting our journey. Mr. Bovill would like to state the very worst day he ever had as a teacher; was still pretty good. It is the only job in the world where your heart can be broken and fixed in an instant.

We have worked with things and we have worked with people; we much prefer working with people. We both needed the relationships that were created in the classroom.

Without sounding too… Continue

Added by Ronald Bovill on July 23, 2009 at 6:39am — No Comments

" Teachers Ethics" :A Reflective Classroom Teacher 27

As educators we are in a position of great responsibility and power. We are the adults and in the teacher/student relationship. Students look to us to model correct behavior in our professional and personal lives. Like it or not, we are placed on a pedestal in the communities that we teach and we are held to a higher standard than most. That is how it should be. Because of the uniqueness of our positions, we are never expected to be ordinary in any facet of our lives. If that is frightening to… Continue

Added by Ronald Bovill on July 23, 2009 at 6:37am — No Comments

" An Informed Teacher" :A Reflective Classroom Teacher 25

One can never be too well informed. Remain current in your field. Continue your education on both a formal and informal tract. We suggest that you belong to those professional organizations that will be of the most benefit to your as an educator. Be active in your local organization and know and support your state represenatives. Push for useful in-service time and use your professional for just that. Investigate what effective teachers are doing in their classrooms. Take out subscriptions to… Continue

Added by Ronald Bovill on July 23, 2009 at 6:35am — No Comments

" Tired of It All":A Reflective Classroom Teacher 25

There will be days of frustration. At times you will feel you do not have the strength or the will to continue in the classroom. We have all had these feelings from time to time. That is the reality of any profession, not just teaching. If however, this feeling of despair and of being overwhelmed continues over an extended period of time, it is time for honest reflection.

Our suggestion is that you try and pinpoint what it is that is causing the depression. There is a good possibility that… Continue

Added by Ronald Bovill on July 23, 2009 at 6:32am — No Comments

" The Effective Teacher ":A Reflective Classroom Teacher 24

There are certain characteristics that all effective teachers have. This does not mean that if you don't possess all of these traits you can't be a good teacher. You can but you will never be as effective as the teacher who demonstrates a mastery of the following.

1. You must have positive expectation for yourself and for your students. If you do not believe you can be effective, you won't be. Realize what your strengths are as a teacher and utilize those aspects of your character.… Continue

Added by Ronald Bovill on July 23, 2009 at 6:29am — No Comments

" Brush Strokes " :A Reflective Classroom Teacher 22

Teaching is as much an art as it is a science. It is possible to become an effective instructor without the science of teaching. We will however, never be as a complete a teacher, unless we develop our art of teaching. By art, we refer to the personalities of teaching. The personality is defined by all of the tools that we use; all of the acts that we perform; all of the beliefs that we have and are willing to show to others.

If those superior teaching traits are not cultivated, then we… Continue

Added by Ronald Bovill on July 22, 2009 at 8:02am — No Comments

" Dynamics of the Classroom" :A Reflective Classroom Teacher 23

There is going to be some conflict in your classroom. But, there is also going to be cooperation; some competition; a little accommodation and hopefully all of this will result in the assimilation of everyone into a productive, caring class. There are no guarantees the latter is going to happen but, if it does, the results will be monumental. We have been witnesses to this phoneme on more than one occasion in our classrooms. The effort needed to create such an atmosphere; is well worth the… Continue

Added by Ronald Bovill on July 22, 2009 at 8:00am — No Comments

" Needs and Choices ": A Reflective Classroom Teacher 21

Everyone in the classroom has the same set of basic needs, and that includes you, the teacher. Like our students, we choose various methods to meet those needs. Unlike your students, you should have internalized the concept of delayed gratification by the time you receive your first teaching certificate. At least that is what should have happened at this stage of your life. However, that will always be the perception that life could be better and at times this leads us to the state of… Continue

Added by Ronald Bovill on July 22, 2009 at 6:20am — No Comments

" The Endless Task" :A Reflective Classroom Teacher 20

The task of teaching is never completed; a finished product is never produced. As teachers, we promote, we graduate, we advance but there is never an end to the process; but don't despair. Off in the wings there is always the latest model to come off the reproduction line. As long as parents are willing to reproduce the species we will have new fresh students who will spend time with us and leave much better people; but not complete.

Education is a process and is never completed. There are… Continue

Added by Ronald Bovill on July 21, 2009 at 8:47am — No Comments

" Ten Truths for Teachers" : A Reflective Classroom Teacher 19

Ten Truths for Teachers

1. There is a power in my life greater than myself. I have an obligation to seek direction from that power.

2. If you don’t like flowers don’t plant flowers and if you don’t love children don’t try and teach them. Please leave the teaching profession. You are eventually going to do more harm than you are good. Not everyone can be a teacher even thought the pay we receive for our services, contradicts that statement.

3. In spite of all of your efforts, some… Continue

Added by Ronald Bovill on July 21, 2009 at 7:42am — No Comments

"What is new in education?" :A Reflective Classroom Teacher 18

In the day, collaborative learning was something the students did while the teacher worked with some other child who was in need. One has only to research the techniques of the one room country school teacher, to realize that much of what is new has been around for such a long time. We continue to reinvent the wheel, when at time, small improvements would suffice.

The teacher across the hall knew some things and so did the one next to us and we shared what worked and threw out what didn’t.… Continue

Added by Ronald Bovill on July 21, 2009 at 7:37am — No Comments

" Teachers are our heroes." :A Reflective Classroom Teacher 17

Highly effective teachers have always been our heroes. They are always quick to respond to the needs of others, especially ours needs. Without their counsel and encouragement, the journey into teaching would have been so much more difficult, if not impossible. If we have achieved any creditability as teachers, it is because of the feedback of our peers. Our peers taught us to do things in the classroom that were yet to be researched because they were effective.

We are reminded that before… Continue

Added by Ronald Bovill on July 20, 2009 at 8:01am — No Comments

"Flowers and Children":A Reflective Classroom Teacher 15

Shared thoughts of Dr. Jane Ziebarth/Bovill

I retreated to my parent’s farm and my mother’s garden for most of that first summer away from teaching. I was determined to become an effective teacher. I needed time to collect my thoughts and to contemplate the vast amount of educational research that I had purchased to read during my twelve-week hiatus away from school.

I have always found a peace in gardening that I cannot duplicate with any other setting. My fondest memories have been… Continue

Added by Ronald Bovill on July 20, 2009 at 6:30am — No Comments

" Our Preparation to Teach ":A Reflective Classroom Teacher 14

Our preparation to enter the teaching profession was good but it was just not complete. This was in no way the fault of the College of Education that we attended, nor was it through any fault of our own. The college perceived our needs as a first year teacher and presented it in a nicely packaged sequence of course work starting in our sophomore years. We were often told that we would learn more in our first year of teaching, about teaching, than we had in the past four years of college. This… Continue

Added by Ronald Bovill on July 18, 2009 at 8:00am — No Comments

"Not Another Theory Please": A Reflective Classroom Teacher 13

Before there were models for just about everything in education, there were teachers standing naked in front of their classes without so much as a hypotheses to cover themselves. Before there was stress management, there were teachers dealing with difficulties who did not have personal days for renewal. It was called being resourceful; being a teacher. The professional was, just that, professional. They had not yet learned how to surrender to self-pity and narcissistic burnout; effective… Continue

Added by Ronald Bovill on July 17, 2009 at 10:30am — No Comments

" Inclusion" :Reflections of a Classroom Teacher 12

Inclusion is just that, inclusion. We do not have the luxury of selecting those that we want to teach. We are charged with teaching ever child that comes through our doors each morning and that is the way it should be. It is not easy teaching those who refuse our help but their attitude will not allow us to relinquish our duties as teachers. If anything, we probably will double our efforts if we are truly effective.

Parents who do not accept their responsibilities and who offer only a… Continue

Added by Ronald Bovill on July 17, 2009 at 7:00am — No Comments

"Rebels in Our Classrooms":A Reflective Classroom Teacher 11

There are going to be rebels in our classrooms. Not many, but a few. They don't always know what they are against but are a negative force to be dealt with. These students truly believe that they are never understood. Each day brings a new and unique tragedy into their lives. They need to spend a considerable part of each day in a counselor's office complaining about teachers, parents, friends, siblings, community, rumors, boy friends and girl friends, cars and warm soda. Through their dress or… Continue

Added by Ronald Bovill on July 16, 2009 at 8:30am — No Comments

“Deal with it Bovill.” A Reflective Classroom Teacher 10

The next couple of blogs are not intended to reflect negativism about the teaching profession. I loved teaching and I loved the students I taught, but there are some difficult aspects of the profession that cannot be ignored. As one of my principals said to me in my early years of teaching, “deal with it Bovill.” I did, and so have many of you.

Is it possible, that some parents simply do not know how, or are unwilling to parent correctly? Is it possible that some parents bring children… Continue

Added by Ronald Bovill on July 15, 2009 at 7:30am — No Comments

" How important are we?" :A Reflective Teacher 9

A Reflective Classroom Teacher 9 There seems to be a general consensus that teaching is an important function in our society even though the financial rewards do not reflect that belief. As educators, we are responsible for the formal socialization process. Parents trust us to help prepare their children to be productive, well adjusted and informed members of our society. This is a tremendous responsibility and the vast majority of educators approach this task with a very serious… Continue

Added by Ronald Bovill on July 13, 2009 at 7:00am — No Comments

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