Blog Post #9

Mr. Joe McClung
After reading his first post "What I've learned this year" (2008-2009), I couldn't help but read the next two,"What I've learned this year" (2009-2010) and "What I've learned this year" (2010-2011). It was such a great idea for him to reflect on the past year and share all of the knowledge that he has gained from the experience. One particular thing that I will definitely steal, is to find a "schoolmom". I know that in my first few years I am going to need a lot of guidance. Mr. Joe Mcclung began his first year as an elementary teacher. Quickly moving up, he began his second year as a jr. high  teacher. He commented on changing his teaching style to match the jr. high way of thinking. Many teachers may not think about such thing but it is a good thing to do. McClung mentioned that teachers don't need to hold high expectations for their students, they just need to keep encouraging them. Another point he made was "Don't Be Afraid Of Technology." Technology is here to stay and don't be afraid using it. An important lesson to adopt is to "Listen To Your Students." He says to listen to your students and take interest in their lives. Finally, McClung says he learned was "Never Stop Learning." He says to never stop being open to learning new things. There was one thing that I feel that I am really going to have to work on when I begin teaching- "Don't Expect Others To Be As Excited About Change As You Are." McClung talks about how to not expect your students to be as excited about the changes as you are. Don't let that influence you and keep teaching. I really enjoyed his blog post and plan on following his words of advice when I start teaching.