so what does it all mean?

so what do these dispositions even mean? Can they be taught? I think that dispositions can be taught, through experience. I feel that the more you utilize the desired characteristics the more natural they will become. If you are open to change and trying new things you are capable of learning these dispositions.

But I do feel that there are some dispositions that can't be taught. For example, if you are extremely intelligent but don't particularly like children - you shouldn't be a teacher, no ifs ands or buts. Teaching is not the profession for you.

I also think you can learn a lot from watching other great teachers. Witnessing the skill in someone else makes it easier to understand and also apply to your own life. Personally, I am willing to try new ideas, and also utilize ideas from other teachers in order to become a better teacher myself.

resilience

resilience is a very important characteristic to have not only as a teacher, but also for life in general. I know that teaching is a difficult profession because of the amount of chaos a teacher deals with every day, but learning how to cope with stress and disfunction is so very important, especially as a person in a leadership position.

I feel that the only way we can better prepare teachers is to give them more experience working with other experienced teachers. There is a lot of valuable knowledge that can be gained working with an experienced teacher. If we had teachers student teach for longer periods of time, or with multiple teachers - not only would they see many different styles of teaching but they would also have more experience in the classroom and in turn more experience dealing with difficult situations.

humility

"to be truly great, one has to stand among people - not above them" - Montesquieu

I think that as a teacher it is important to be self assured and as the head of a classroom you need to have confidence in yourself as an authoritative figure. but there is a fine line between being confident and being cocky.

The difference, in my opinion, is whether you brag or not about yourself. You can be really good at something or be very confident in a subject and would not be considered arrogant. But the minute you decide to open your mouth and let everyone else know how good you are at this particular subject you become cocky.

I think another aspect that depicts the difference between being humble but also self assured is how you view other people. If you are critical of other people and not yourself you are often considered arrogant.

As a teacher it is so important to be self assured and confident in your teaching, but you must also be aware of what you say and how you treat other people so you don't come across as arrogant or cocky.

collaboration

collaboration is different from group work because it incorporates everyone. each person brings their ideas to the table and everyone recognizes each others strengths and weaknesses and respects them. often in group work one person is stuck with the majority of the work - ideally collaboration evenly divides the work among group members - so that everyone is heading toward a common goal, project etc.

a highly effective team or group would be one that revolves around respect. it is okay to be critical of other people's ideas but it must be in a respectful we. a highly effect team would recognize each others strengths, what that person can bring to the table, and their weaknesses. and be open to new ideas and the fact that their own idea might not be the best. and that the ultimate goal desired is the best final "project."

efficacy

when I first saw that we had to write a blog entry of efficacy, I was a little intimidated because I have no idea what efficacy means.

according to dictionary.com efficacy means effectiveness - and I do know what effectiveness means=]

I think that being confidence in yourself as a teacher and your abilities is a very important skill to have. I am a firm believer that people won't believe in you (especially children) unless you believe in yourself. Although you may feel unsure, or at times questions your abilities - you must always feel that you are capable of doing a wonderful job, it might just take a little more work.

I also think that persistence and work ethic are both important traits to have in order to be an effective teacher. I personally think that work ethic is an important characteristic to have in life, not only in teaching. If you are willing to work, and work hard - you can accomplish anything. And again with persistence, having this trait allows you to succeed. Specifically with children I feel that is important to be persistent in your expectations of each child.

As a teacher it is important to be self-aware. What are my strengths? what needs a little help? etc. recognizing that you may have to make some changes (for the better) is the first step to becoming a better and more effective teacher.

CrEaTiViTy

I really enjoyed the video we watched on you tube. I also agree with the fact that we are educating our children to become university professors who live in their heads. And don't get me wrong I know the world needs university professors - but we can't ALL be that way. we need to encourage children to be creative and innovative.

The interesting thing about kids is that they will take a chance, they aren't afraid to be wrong. and the older kids get the more they fear failure. and if we as learners and not prepare to be wrong, we'll never come up with anything original. we need to teach children that not only is failure acceptable but that you can learn from it.

we must not forget that children are the future, and we should educate the whole being for the future because we may or may not be there to witness it. we need to give kids the skills they need to help make make something of it.

playing roles aka acting

I really enjoyed the role playing method of teaching. Using a more direct lecture would have been much more boring because only the teacher would be talking and the students wouldn't be as engaged. With role playing, the students are more involved and even if a student decides not to comment - they are more engaged because the students that are speaking or participating are more emotionally invested.

I also feel that role playing allows student to be more confident in themselves because they aren't being themselves, they are playing a character (per say). I also feel that when a student is more emotionally engaged they learn more or retain the knowledge for a longer period of time because they are truly invested in the subject.

On the subject of No Child Left Behind. I feel that it is important that students have basic skills such as reading, writing, math competence etc. but I personally feel that there are other basic skills such as being able to read music or throw a baseball that students should know. And yes I do agree (to some extent) that teachers tend to pay more attention to parents of high achieving students most likely because they are involved in their child's life. I do feel though that most teachers encourage all parents to be involved in their children's schooling - but ultimately, right or wrong, that is the parents' choice.

passionnnn

"Education is not the filling of the bucket, but the lighting of the fire" - W.B. Yeats

The most passionate teacher I have ever had was my Junior biology teacher. Her name was Mrs. Raasch and I was in love with her. She knew so much about the subject and was always very enthusiastic. She also was always willing to answer questions because she understand that biology wasn't the easiest subject for everyone to understand.

Science is not my subject and I was very nervous to take enriched biology but Mrs. Raasch made me want to learn. She made biology interesting because she was so enthusiastic. She would stand on chairs, or jump around the room because she would get so excited about something silly like mitochondria.

Mrs. Raasch focused more on getting her students interested in the subject, rather than getting a good grade. But by doing this, she indirectly encouraged us to learn more because she made the subject so enticing.

authenticity

"What we're all striving for is authenticity, a spirit-to-spirit connection" - Oprah Winfrey

authenticity, according to dictionary.com, is defined as the quality of being authentic. (for the record I think it is against definition rules that you use the word you're trying to define in the definition). So, I personally define authenticity as being genuine in your actions.

how do you know where your limits are in expressing authenticity in the classroom? I believe that you can bring your own beliefs into the classroom but you shouldn't push those beliefs onto your students. I think it is important that your students know who you are as a person and believe that you're being "real." but I also think it is important that your students know that your classroom is a safe environment where all beliefs and ideas are welcome.

another question this idea about authenticity raises is can you really just be yourself in a classroom? this question has really puzzled me because I want to say, absolutely you can just be yourself. but can you really? in order to aid all children you may have to adapt - and does that mean you change who you are? or pretend to be something you're not? I'm not sure...but I do think that as long as you have the student's best interest at heart you are being genuine and authentic.

compassion

"If you want others to be happy practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion." - The Dalai Lama

I grew up in Rosemount, MN - which was a smaller community located near Apple Valley - in the middle of 4th grade my parents decided that we were going to move into the cities because not only would my parents be closer to work, but we would be able to attend a better school. I remember being so upset about leaving Rosemount. I cried for days, especially because I wouldn't get to finish out the year at Shannon Park (my elementary school). I told my teacher Mrs. Leroux and she explained to me that my new school would be great and that I would meet so many new people.

My last day of classes at Shannon Park I arrived to find my entire class had thrown me a surprise going away party - consisting of non latex balloons and cookies. What a nice treat! Towards the end of the day Mrs. Leroux pulled me aside. She gave me her e-mail and phone number and told me I could talk to her anytime I was struggling with the transition, or just had something exciting to share.

I maintained a relationship with Mrs. Leroux until high school. We wrote letters to each other via e-mail and she even came to dinner at my house once to catch up. She made a huge impact on my life just by reaching out to me. I will never forget her and what a truly compassionate person she is.

r-e-s-p-e-c-t

The secret of education lies in respecting the pupil - Ralph Waldo Emerson

I think respect is somewhat of a confusing subject when it comes to the teacher/student relationship. Should teachers work to earn respect from their students? Or are students supposed to immediately show respect to their teachers, because of their "social" status? If a teacher is disrespectful should a student still show respect? or vice versa?

Personally, I agree with Ralph Waldo Emerson's quote. I think the teacher should earn the respect of the student and in turn the student should reciprocate this respect. Like Emerson I also believe that it is the secret to education. This respect between student and teacher in turn creates a safe and comfortable environment where learning can take place.

One of my worst memories as a high schooler was my sophomore math class. I was in the "fast track" class with mostly geniuses (one of which I was not) and was struggling to keep up. My teacher, Mr. Mace, enjoyed the fact that he didn't really have to teach because the majority of the students in the class could teach themselves. I, on the other hand, could not teach myself - and one day proceeded to ask a question about the lesson. Mr. Mace turned to me and said, in front of the entire class, "you've got to be kidding, are you stupid?" I then replied, in shock, "no? I just need some clarification and thought you could help?" Mr. Mace, now realizing that he had actually sounded like a jerk replied, "alright, what would you like to go over..."

Although I know Mr. Mace felt badly for calling me stupid, I will never ever forget that moment in high school. At the time I was extremely embarrassed because I knew that I wasn't as smart as the other kids in the class - but now, as I look back - Mr. Mace was really the one who looked like an idiot when I ended the year with a 95%.

My senior year of high school I was taking calculus. My calc teacher's name was Mrs. Casey and she was inspirational. It was obvious that she was passionate about math, but she also truly cared about her students as individuals. Fall of my senior year one of my friends died in a car accident, it was a horrible event to go through and I was really struggling to cope with the tragedy. One day in class Mrs. Casey pulled me outside and asked me if I was doing alright. I explained what had happened. She then proceeded to talk to me for 15 minutes explaining that if I ever needed someone to talk I could stop by her room anytime. Knowing that my teacher respected me and cared about my well being was such a great feeling.

I think Aretha Franklin sums it up well when she sings, "r-e-s-p-e-c-t find out what it means to me." Respect does have different definitions for different people, different students, and as a teacher it is our responsibility to earn the respect of our students by showing them "a little respect."