MCC Friday Reflections

  Before I Re TI r E When I was deciding to become a teacher I was given some advice… "while getting dressed for work, always dress for the position you desire rather than the position you currently hold".   At that time, many years ago, I was an after-school daycare supervisor.  My attire usually fit my job…jeans, t-shirt, gym shoes, etc.  When that advice was imparted to me and I began my education in education I started wearing more “professional” type clothing.  In doing so I was searching for a role model.  Men are few and far between in the field of education--as a consequence--the school I was working at in Oak Park didn’t offer anyone I could emulate. This dilemma brought me to reach back into my high school days.  I had plenty of male teachers at OPRFHS.  One of them was my Geometry/Trigonometry teacher, Mr. Chirko. Mr. Chirko was one of those people who always had a slight smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye....

Whether a seasoned teacher or one “fresh out of the box” the idea that establishing a routine for your students is highly valued. Kids are spontaneous.  We can hear this in their laughter.  We can see this in their actions. We can feel this through their emotions.  Spontaneity carries with it positives and negatives; both contributing to the endeavor of an education within a school day.  It can serve to help or hinder. Each class a teacher gets from one year to the next has its own “pulse”.  There is a level of spontaneity that must be sought in order to capitalize on it for positive outcomes.  Routines are a way of seeking that level.  Within the routine of a typical day one can gauge the level of spontaneity a class possesses.  As students intertwine within the parameters set forth from the moment they enter the school to the instant they leave for home, much is shared between student and teacher.  Roles become clearly defined and...