Reflection 1: Wang Chapters 1, 2, 3, 5

When I first opened the Wang textbook, I was pleasantly surprised to find a resource that looked like it could be used as a tool to learn the practical aspects of teaching, not just the theoretical history of educating. I thought it was interesting how in Chapter 3 the authors explain how teacher educations programs, student teaching, and districts may not have prepared you for your first few days of teaching. There seemed to be a lack of preparation for those real moments in the classroom, the management plan needed, and the organization of it all. I completely related to this because although I had completed a TESOL certificate with a semester long internship, I was not prepared for teaching, but yes, I was expected to perform. I did want to blame someone, or something for my inadequacy because I felt like I should have been taught the practical steps that every teacher needs to know. However, I liked how the book encouraged us not to blame the educational system, the internship director, or the district, but to be pro-active about learning what to do. It also mentioned in Chapter 3 that new teachers need to beg, borrow, and steal from other teachers. Basically to ask questions, collaborate with fellow teachers, and just continue learning about the steps needed to succeed.

I noticed that the authors stress that the first days are essential for how well the classroom functions, how much the students learn, and how effective the teacher will be for the school year. The teachers that explained their management plan to their class the very first day of class experienced great success (Wang 5). The students have a need to understand the objective of the class. They do better overall when the teachers are organized, explain what is expected, and believe in them to succeed. The authors explain in Chapter 2 how teachers must have positive expectations of their students, maintain great classroom management, and have excellent mastery of the lesson in order to have a successful classroom with students learning the given material. In Chapter 1, the authors list four stages of teaching: fantasy, survival, mastery, and impact. I know that in my first year of teaching, I lived in the survival stage. I was constantly scrambling to keep the students busy, only hoping that they obtained some content knowledge. These few chapters outlined how new teachers can transition out of the survival stage to the mastery stage and finally into the desired stage of impact. I knew that being prepared was important, but these chapters highlighted how essential preparation and organization are and how it can make the classroom a better environment, one in which the students are truly learning.

Website Recommendation:
http://www.exemplars.com/index.php
This website was mentioned in my classroom assessment class and appears to be a useful source for standards-based assessment and instruction. It contains lesson plans in general and focuses specifically on math, science, and also contains a section on developing writers. It seems like a helpful tool.