Chapter 7

I wanted to start by saying sorry that my blogs are always late! Until today when we mentioned it in class I thought we could submit our blog anytime on thurs. It won't be late anymore!
Anyways I wanted to start by saying how much I enjoyed class today. Though I did not participate I did a lot of listening and loved how you talked about making our cohort a community. It was cool to hear Ruthie share how she had been feeling. It is funny how though we all look put together on the outside it is hard to know what is going on inside. It made me feel closer to Ruthie when she shared.
These expereinces in our own cohort have helped me really see the value in morning meetings. It can make students more sensitive to what their peers are feeling,
From chapter seven I felt overwhelmed at first by the long list of the tings successful teachers do. They were all wonderful things but there were so many of them. I them loved how she went on to say that it is hard to do all of these tings. She talked about how it can be hard to get to all of your students and really know them. But I really liked how she had a positive attitude in believing we can try. We can try to reach all of our students. We can try to always be supportive, patient, and loving. In trying we could affect at least one of our students. I thought she was very realistic about how it really would be in the classroom but still positive about doing the best you can. This was reassuring to me. A lot of the time I feel like I can never get enough done and am not enough. I don't study enough, work enough ,exercise enough, etc. But I thought that this really applied to our lives. That we can do the best we can and we can be proud of the progress we make no matter how small. This helped me to take a step back and feel proud of myself for how far I have come in school. I am always thinking about how much I have left but it was nice to reassure myself that I have come so far already. Instead of feeling so far from where I want to be this made me feel more excited to reach it. As a teacher I will need to assess myself and make a list of the things I not only need to improve but the things I am doing well.
As human beings we do not seem to praise or celebrate ourselves as much as we should. Maybe it is because we measure ourselves to the accomplishments of others. Just like I measure myself to the really good teachers and should take into consideration that they have had alot of time and practice.
Anyways I have really liked this book. Reading it as a teacher will help remind me what is really important, and that is my students. Making sure my students know that I care about them and love them for what they are and for what they can become.