Wednesday, May 27, 2009

What I've Learned This Year


When I arrived in Noel, Missouri last fall I was entering my first year of being a teacher. Being young and inexperienced, I did not fully know what to expect from being an elementary school teacher. Since last August I have grown and matured as a person and a teacher, and in the process I have learned a TON. So, I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to share with you what it is that I have learned in my first year of teaching.

How to Read the Crowd
Throughout my college education and teaching internship, I developed a mindset that it was all about me the teacher. Meaning that I was so worried about how I was being assessed by my superiors, that I lost touch with my audience when I delivered a lesson. A common theme that I have seen in a lot of teachers is the fact that they do not make their lessons student centered. They become so concerned with the delivery of the content that they are missing the most important aspect of teaching, and that is checking for student comprehension.

I fell like that this year I have developed immensely in regards to this aspect of teaching. In order to be effective you have to be able to let your audience drive your instruction.

Be Flexible
I have a way I want things done.....sound familiar? While we as instructors like to plan "perfect" lessons, we have to remember that we are performing in front of a crowd the struggles remembering what they brought for lunch that day.
NO LESSON IS EVER PERFECT. THE LESSON YOU TEACH AND THE ONE YOU PLAN ARE ALWAYS DIFFERENT.
At the beginning of the school year I felt like I was trying to control things way too much, and I would beat myself up over lessons and activities that did not go well. I had to get over this. While I always plan to have that elusive perfect lesson, I don't let it get to me and I do not kill myself over my mistakes any more. When things go wrong, simply work with it and try to better the situation.....and make sure you do it with a smile on your face!

Communicate
Communication is the best medicine....I know no one has ever experienced workplace drama, but just in case you know someone who knows a friend that does.....they need to talk it out. Communicating is the best way to resolve any issue in the workplace.

In addition, communication is the pathway to building that much desired rapport with fellow teachers. I know that sounds obvious, but communication is one of the hardest skills to develop, so practice all you can and build those strong relationships with teachers and students.

Be Reasonable
As teachers we hold very high expectations for our students....sometimes they live up to those expectations, and sometimes they don't. Often we build our expectations too high for students, and become upset when they do not meet the expectation.
DON'T.
Teachers can sometimes really loose touch and forget that we are dealing with children. They are not perfect and neither are we. While its fine to have lofty goals for our students, we set our students up for disappointment when a goal is not met and we scold them for not coming through. Our job as teachers is to simply pick them up after they fail, dust them off, and encourage them to try again.

Don't be Afraid of Technology
Grown adults everywhere are afraid of computers like it's a bad horror film and computers are trying to take over the world. Technology is our friend and is essential to living in our microwave society of today. We should not become overwhelmed by technology and simply give up before we start. We cannot expect to master computer skills the first time we attempt them, so jump in head first....the water feels fine :)

Listen to Your Students
You may be the only person that does. Below is an example of a answer that one of my students listed on their end of the year survey that really spoke to me:
I know my teacher cares about me as a person when he.
- Listens to what I say
While this may seem like a standard issue answer to such a question, it spoke volumes to me. I truly believe that teachers do not know enough about the students they are teaching. In order to build the respect that we all seek in a student teacher relationship, it is important to take interest their the lives of our students. It's that important.

Lastly....Never Stop Learning
It's never too late to change your way of thinking, learning, or style. We do everything short of beg students to learn on a daily basis, but sadly some of us refuse to learn and grow as professional educators. We work in a learning environment, so why not soak up as much as you can? We owe it to our students.

In closing I would like to thank everyone that has made my first year of teaching something truly magical. Teachers, parents, bloggers, and of course students....thank you to everyone.

Mr. McClung

465 comments:

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Alyssa Woodward said...

Hey Mr. McClung, My name is Kathryn Cummins. I am from Mobile, Alabama and a student in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 Class . Thanks for sharing your experience as a teacher. It seems like you have had a great year. I agree with you how people should not be afraid of technology. I think if students have the opportunity to use it, then they should. I think it's great how you try to get your students involved and engaged in learning. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Sincerely Kathryn Cummins

Alyssa Woodward said...

Hey Mr. McClung,
my name is Kathryn Cummins. I am from Mobile, Alabma and a student in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 Class. Thank you for sharing your experience as a teacher. It seems like you had a great year! I think it's great how you try to get your students engaged in learning. I think students learn best when they are actually involved in learning. Also, I agree with you about the use of technology. People should not be afraid to use it. If students have the opportunity to use it, then they should.

Leah DiVincenzo said...

Mr. McLung:

This is a very inspiring, optimistic, and thought-provoking post. I imagine that 1st-year teachers have the hardest time adjusting, discovering, applying classroom management skills, etc. I do have a question: What advice or comment do you have about working on communication, especially with new teachers?

You mention that "Communication is the best medicine". How does one who is not an expert communicator develop those skills before entering the classroom? You say that "communication is the pathway to building that much desired rapport with fellow teachers," and you go on advising that one develops these skills by practice. Just curious if you have any "practice communication" skills...other than the basic "put yourself out there!" I find that my biggest problem is not communication initiated by someone else, but how to start those communicative relationships.

Also: I enjoyed the part about "Being reasonable". I think the best option is to let the students make their own expectations....a stairway of goals intended to inspire children to believe in themselves. Whether group or individual goals, students should be able to apply their own skills and knowledge to analyze what they want to do better. Educators are there to coach them to the next level...not to tell students what the next level is. I'd be eager to hear more about your experiences with teacher/ student goal-setting.

To be repetitive, I am a student in Dr. Strange's EDM310 Class at the University of South Alabama. Feel free to leave a comment on My Class Blog. I look forward to hearing from you.

Leah DiVincenzo

Unknown said...

Good morning Mr. McClung I have read your post as an assignment for Dr. Strange’s EDM 310 class. I totally agree with you on everything you have mention in your blog. I believe that when you are in a working environment you must have good communication skill with your colleagues as well as your students. I enjoyed reading your thoughts about your experience as a first year teacher. I have learned a lot from your post. I am studying to be a history teacher at the University of South Alabama. I am pretty sure that everyone who has became a first year teacher felt the same way you did. Thanks for sharing your experience with the world. You seem like you have everything in place and you have learned a lot during your first year teaching. Looking forward to hear from you next year.

Rachel McGuire said...

Hello Mr. McClung!

My name is Rachel McGuire and I am a student in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class. I am glad that we were required to read your entry because I love the positive advice that you have written. I find all of these tips helpful and will be more confident as I go into my first days of teaching elementary education. I liked your tip about taking interest in the lives of your students because it means a lot to them. It helps me to know this so that I can connect with my future students. Thank you so much for this post and the enlightening remarks that you have shared! This will be a great help with my teaching future. You are welcome to read my remarks of your post on my blog, mcguireracheledm310blog.blogspot.com. Thank you so much!

Gina Pace said...

Mr. McClung,
I am a student at the University of South Alabama and have read your post as part of an EDM 310 assignment. Thank you for your transparency concerning your first year experience and the valuable advice that you shared.
I am so thankful to read posts left by teachers like you who are willing to share the do’s and don’ts of teaching. First year teachers are often expected to teach their first year as if they’ve been teaching for several years with little or no support. This is why it’s essential to build positive relationships with school staff and our students.
I am curious to know what you meant about setting high expectations for our students. As a future educator, I believe that when we only expect students to do average work, they will never develop into their full potential. Please let me know your thoughts on this. Again, thank you so much for your transparency. I will be posting my reaction to your comments on my blog Gina's Blog and I would be honored if you would stop by. Best of luck to you!

Anna Dumas said...

Hi, I'm Anna Dumas. I just read your post as an assignment in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class. Thank you so much for sharing your 1st year teacher experience. It is so nice to hear that all first year teachers struggle, and that teaching students isn't easy peasy. Your topics of what you learned were great points to talk about because they are important for all teachers to work on. The best one, I think was to remember to continue to learn. I feel like students are more motivated to learn about a subject if the teacher shows them that they are willing to learn more about the subject than they might already know. Learning along with the students calms nerves, and shows the student that if the teacher can do it so can they. I plan on continuing to follow your blog so keep the information coming.
You can contact me on my class blog http://dumasannamarieedm310.blogspot.com/

hbhinton said...

I really enjoyed reading your post I think that it is so great that you share your experiences. As a student it's nice to see what other first year teachers go through and what I am about to experience.

laurelandtheashtree said...

Hi, I too am a student in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class at the University of South Alabama. I really enjoyed your blog post, as it shows that the first year for a beginning teacher is anything but easy. However, if we don't give up, and if we learn from our mistakes, then we can grow into wonderful teachers. Your tips were so helpful, I will be sure to keep them in mind when I start out in a classroom of my own.

Thank you again,
Laura Ashley Butler

Click here to visit my own class blog.

Pauline Tikvah said...

Hi Mr. McClung. My name is Pauline and I'm a student in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class this summer.
Your blog was really introspective. It's easy to forget to self-examine ourselves when we've trained so hard just to get to the playing field to start the race. And now that we are all running in hopes to create a better tomorrow, we have to still double-check ourselves. A lot of students aren't aware of the expectations that we place on them, so when we get frustrated with them, they are just as bewildered. I think most teachers have a little bit of a perfectionist in them, but it's like how you say, well-planned lecture don't aren't always executed perfectly. Sometimes we need to let ourselves off the hook, students too, and when life gives us lemons - we just have to do our best to make lemonade.
Thank you for sharing your experience.

Alissa Logan EDM310 Class Blog said...

Mr. McClung,

Your post spoke volumes to me! I am a student in Dr. Strange's EDM310 classblog.

I have a fear of the student teaching part that will start next spring. I am not afraid of the teaching part, but the what others will think of me. Thank you for letting me know it is really what the kids think that is most important. I feel like I can relate to them and understand that they all learn at different speeds.

This was a great post! I would love for you to view my blog and give me some feedback. I also plan on adding you to my PLN so I can keep in contact with someone who has just started and that I believe we have a lot of the same views.

Brittany said...

I know exactly what you mean. I am sort of a perfectionist and I do have a tendency of getting upset when things do not go as planned but as you said I guess there is nothing to do except just roll with the punches. This was w very enjoyable and insightful post to read.

Leigh Setser said...

Hi Mr. McClung! My name is Leigh and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I am studying elementary education and I read your blog as an assignment for my EDM 310 class with Dr. Strange. I really enjoyed reading you post. The point you made that affected me most was being flexible. I feel like when I become a teacher this is what I will struggle most with. I will start practicing now to figure out what I need to do if things do not go according to plan. Reading what you had to say about flexibility really helped me, thank you! Everything in your post was very helpful as well :) Check out my blog if you would like! http://setserleighedm310.blogspot.com/

BrittanyAntinarella said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
BrittanyAntinarella said...

Mr. McClung,
What an excellent post to show all the trials and tribulations a first year teacher goes through. I am in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class at the University of South Alabama. We are preparing for our futures as educators and learning how to incorporate technology into our classrooms. It has been a wonderful learning experience for me and we are only half way through the semester. You make some very great points. I would imagine many new teachers go through all of these things. My full comment is available on my blog.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and advice with us,
Brittany Schneider
@brittalee83

Samantha said...

Mr. McClung,
My name is Samantha Deardorff and I'm also in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class at the University of South Alabama. I have really enjoyed reading your post and I'm glad that Dr. Strange made it a required reading assignment. Your findings as a new teacher are going to help, if not already helped new teachers. You can find my full review of your blog post HERE.
Thanks again for sharing.

Kayla (Perkins) Beck said...

Hi my name is Kayla. I am also an EDM 310 student at University of South Alabama. Wow! I don't even know where to start. Everything you wrote is very helpful for teachers of all ages and of all degrees. I really like the focus on getting connected with your students and actually listening to them. So many times I see teachers blow off their students because they "don't want to deal with it today," but it is our job to "deal with it." I truly believe that if someone wants to be a real teacher, they will give as much as they can to help their students succeed. And the trust from the students comes from our relationship with them as an encourager, teacher, and a real person.

carriet said...

Mr. McClung,
My name is Carrie Tucker. I am a student at the University of South Alabama in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 Class. I enjoyed reading your blog and appreciated the insight you offered. Many times in life actual experience can be the best teacher in anything we are trying to achieve and it sounds like you learned a lot from your first year of teaching.
I found that your tip on keeping everything student centered highly beneficial. I would imagine that after student teaching, interviews, and even meeting the standards a teacher has to maintain that it can be difficult to not lose focus of what the students need. Thanks for that principle. So much of what you stated, such as the importance of communication, not fearing technology, and learning everyday are valuable keys that I would like to use as a teacher!
You can also check out my class blog- www.tuckercarrieedm310.blogspot.com
Thanks again for sharing your insight!
Carrie Tucker

Morgan Mohler said...

Mr. McClung, my name is Morgan Mohler and I was instructed to read your post as part of Dr. Strange’s EDM 310 class. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and lessons learned from your first year! It’s comforting to hear it first hand from someone who has been there before. I feel a little ahead of the game because I know a little of what to expect. I especially appreciated what you said about setting reasonable goals and listening to the students. I am the same way, I tend to set goals that are rather high, and then get upset when they are not met. I really appreciate you taking time out of your day to help us future teachers get prepared!! I hope you are enjoying teaching! You can contact me if you wish at my blog which is mohlermorganedm310.blogspot.com

Ms. C McCain said...

Mr. McClung,
Thank you so much for this post. The things you have learned this year may seem like obvious things, but the obvious is what teacher's often lose sight of. Dr. Strange is my EDM310 teacher at the University of South Alabama, and he is trying to make me, as well as the rest of my classmates, realize the things you have said in your post. Reading your post motivates me to learn. I sometimes feel like the things we are being taught in EDM will not be used to their full advantage because the system I desire to teach in is still centered on an outdated method of teaching. But, I have the urge and ability to change the way teachers reach their students, and to know there are other people in the world who are not loosing sight of the most important part of teaching... students, really inspires me. You can read my summary of your post and a more in dept response to it at http://lordcaitlynedm310.blogspot.com/ I would love to hear how your second year of teaching is going after learning all you did last year.

Thank you again for this post,
Caitlyn Lord

Tabitha Sexton said...

HI,
My name is Tabitha and I am posting as part of as assignment from Dr. Strange's EDM310 class. I really enjoyed your list and thank you very much for sharing it with us. I have to say that my favorite was listening to our students and keeping the students' goals attainable. These are two concepts that go hand in hand. Without listening, we don't know what the student actually knows, therefore, if we don't know what they need help with or what they have mastered, how can we set attainable goals.

T.J. said...

Mr. McClung I read your blog as part of DR. Strange EDM310 class at South Alabama. In your post you have answer many of the areas I was concern in how to go about preparing to teach students. One of your points that I needed to really work on is communicating with others. Here is a way to contact me at my blog http://vigneulletjedm310.blogspot.com/

Thank you for what you shared it has encourage me to not worry so much about the perfect lesson and you are going to have a great teaching career.

Crystal Baxter said...

Mr. McClung

Thank you for sharing your first year teaching experience with all of us. It has been up lifting and encouraging. I am currently a student at the University of South Alabama in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class. He asked we to read your blog. I just want to say that I am glad that I had the oppurtunity to do so. I am currently in the school helping students through tutoring and it can be a challenge. But like you stated if we do it with a smile on our face and with the thought in the back of our minds that each student could teach us something new, I believe that we can and will succeed. Thank you again for sharing your experience and I wish you the best of luck in your future teaching career. I will be writing a summary of your post on my blog. You can locate it at baxtercrystaledm310.blogspot.com

Len Jenkins said...

Mr. McClung,
My name is Len Jenkins, and I have read your post as a requirement for EDM 310, and I'm glad I did.

I liked when you said, “in order to be effective you have to be able to let your audience drive your instruction.” I believe that you don't always have to let them drive your instruction, but you should give them the opportunity when presented.

I also liked what you said about “being flexible.” Being a music major, we as conductors have a lesson plan from rehearsal to rehearsal. That lesson plan changes, however, from piece to piece. Sometimes, the students will surprise you and do something well that you may not have expected, and other times they will do worse than you expected. Whatever the case, being flexible is always the best option.

You're right about communication, it is one of the most difficult things to develop. Most people now, with social networking and such, can easily say things online because there are no direct effects. Communicating in person, however, is much more, well, personal. Most people are afraid of confrontation, but confrontation does not always have to be negative. Constructive confrontation is better than no confrontation.

I can relate when you discuss unreasonable teachers. I have had quite a few teachers that were not reasonable. When students would fail, those teachers would simply look at them as if in disgust or disappointment, and offer no help. What sort of message does this send to the students?

In EDM 310, over 90% of what we discuss has something to do with technology. We should all embrace technology and use it to our advantage.

While there is no need to learn every detail in our students' lives, we should have some knowledge of what their life is like. Without this knowledge, we cannot communicate effectively with our students and we become nothing more than another teacher who doesn't seem care about anything but work.

I liked what you said in your last paragraph, “why not soak up as much as you can?” The question is “why not?” What is stopping us from becoming efficient in our own field of study? How can we expect the students to learn new material if we are going to be hypocritical and refuse to learn more ourselves?

Thank you for sharing your thoughts! I enjoyed reading your post!

Here is a link to my blog for EDM 310.
http://jenkinslenedm310.blogspot.com/

Len Jenkins

Len Jenkins said...

Mr. McClung,
My name is Len Jenkins, and I have read your post as a requirement for EDM 310, and I'm glad I did!

I liked when you said, “in order to be effective you have to be able to let your audience drive your instruction.” I believe that you don't always have to let them drive your instruction, but you should give them the opportunity when presented.

I also liked what you said about “being flexible.” Being a music major, we as conductors have a lesson plan from rehearsal to rehearsal. That lesson plan changes, however, from piece to piece. Sometimes, the students will surprise you and do something well that you may not have expected, and other times they will do worse than you expected. Whatever the case, being flexible is always the best option.

You're right about communication, it is one of the most difficult things to develop. Most people now, with social networking and such, can easily say things online because there are no direct effects. Communicating in person, however, is much more, well, personal. Most people are afraid of confrontation, but confrontation does not always have to be negative. Constructive confrontation is better than no confrontation.

Len Jenkins said...

Mr. McClung,
This is a continuation of my earlier post.

I can relate when you discuss unreasonable teachers. I have had quite a few teachers that were not reasonable. When students would fail, those teachers would simply look at them as if in disgust or disappointment, and offer no help. What sort of message does this send to the students?

In EDM 310, over 90% of what we discuss has something to do with technology. We should all embrace technology and use it to our advantage.

While there is no need to learn every detail in our students' lives, we should have some knowledge of what their life is like. Without this knowledge, we cannot communicate effectively with our students and we become nothing more than another teacher who doesn't seem care about anything but work.

I liked what you said in your last paragraph, “why not soak up as much as you can?” The question is “why not?” What is stopping us from becoming efficient in our own field of study? How can we expect the students to learn new material if we are going to be hypocritical and refuse to learn more ourselves?

Again, I enjoyed reading your post. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

Here is a link to my class blog for EDM 310.
http://jenkinslenedm310.blogspot.com/

-Len Jenkins

Wade Bias said...

Hello Mr. McClung. My name is Wade Bias and I am student in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class at the University of South Alabama. I must say that your post was well written and I totally agree with your prospective on teaching. Well done! Please feel free to view my blog at http://biaswadeedm310.blogspot.com

Kristin Key said...

Mr. McClung,
I too am a student in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class and have read your post for an assignment. I felt you were describing my own experience with my first year of teaching, until you refered to how magical it was! I definitely was not using the word magical, more like horrific in my case. However, I made it through, learned a lot, and turned out to be very happy with my job as a teacher. Thankfully, most teachers experience exponential growth between that first and second year of experience. I enjoyed reading your thoughts and look forward to seeing how the rest of your career goes! Feel free to visit my blog if you wish: www.keykristinedm310.blogspot.com

Ryne Baxter said...

Hi Mr. McClung,
My name is Ryne Baxter and I am in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class at the University of South Alabama. I would like to thank you for posting all your great insight, I really think this can help all future educators. The part that touched me was listening to your students and creating a relationship. I really think that is one of the most important aspect of being a teacher and I hope than I am able to have that kind of relationship with my future students. You can look at my blog at http://baxterryneedm310fall2010.blogspot.com/

ricardojw said...

Mr.McClung
My name is Catina and I read your post as a requirement for Dr.Strange EDM310 media class.I really enjoyed your post.It was very helpful for me as a future educator.It gave me pointers to keep when I start off being a time first teacher. Thank you for your post and advice I will always remember this information. I can be contracted at my classblog magbycatinaedm310blogspot.com .

cody.coleman14 said...

Hey Mr. McClung. My name is Cody Coleman and I am in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class. I read your post and i believe that your points and ideas were ones that every aspiring teacher should read and understand in order to help them become a better teacher. I believe they are that important and that good. I wrote a summary of my comments on my blog which can be found at . Thank you very much for sharing your ideas and helping not only me but anyone else who reads this blog to become a better teacher!

Kristen said...

Mr. McClung,
I really enjoyed reading your post about your first year of teaching. I was assigned to read your blog for my EDM 310 class at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, AL. Everything you had to say made so much sense about being a teacher for the first time. I still have a fair amount of school left before I get to jump into teaching, but the things you dealt with have crossed my mind. Things such as being worried about what the superiors think. I'm glad to hear and understand it isn't about myself, it's about the students. I've learned from my teachers throughout school that being flexible and being able to communicate are two main factors in teaching. Because I played sports throughout school, my teachers and I really had to work together and communicate in order for me to get the grade I wanted. I often would miss class due to away games and because my teachers were so felxible and willing to work with me I was able to stay on top of my work. I thought you had some great input and your thoughts will really be helpful when it's time for me to step into the real world. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and you can visit my blog anytime at :http://hayeskristenedm310.blogspot.com/

Talisa Swain said...

My name is Talisa Swain and I was reading your post as a requirement for Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class. I really enjoyed this post. I wish some of my current professors would drop by this blog and read. I'm glad that I had the chance to read these valuable lessons from a new teacher's perspective. Hopefully, when I have a class of my own, I will remember what you've said and try to keep my lessons more student centered.

Anonymous said...

Hello Mr. McClung,
My name is Jennifer and I am a student at University of South Alabama in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class.
I definitely enjoyed your post. We all can learn from each of these main points. I believe this should be a repeated checklist our educators should use. Not only is this valuable information for new educators but so many times a veteran educator can begin to stray away from these topics. If we all stopped periodically and thought "are we meeting the goals on this list?" I believe we would have a much more rewarding journey in the classroom. On my blog: http://inscorejenniferedm310.blogspot.com
I have put more comments in regards to your post.
Jennifer

Jenny Black said...

Hello!

My name is Jenny Black and I have read your post as a requirement for Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class. If you'd like to be able to contact me, my Twitter name is JennaayyBlack22 and here is a link to my blog: http://blackjennyedm310.blogspot.com/


I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate this post. I feel like so many teachers view themselves as already knowing it all and teach in a condescending manner. I think it is so awesome that you acknowledge that you don't know everything and that you can learn from your students too. Also, your right about lesson plans not being based around the students. We need to make students our number one priority and their education is what matters, not us. Reading your post, I felt as if I was reading a teacher's blog that had been teaching for 30 years and was retiring. You already have learned so much. Your outlook and advice is truly inspiring and your school is very lucky to have someone like you. Congratulations, and cheers to a long, happy career!

Thanks again for sharing, I'm sure you've inspired many.

Jenny Black

Lauren Myrick said...

Hi Mr. McClung,

My name is Lauren Myrick, and like many of the other commentators, I am required to read your blog post as an assignment in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 course. I am studying Secondary Education and Mathematics, and I am really looking forward to becoming a teacher one day.

I really enjoyed this post, and I want to thank you for it. As a current college student, I must agree with you that I am very nervous about the delivery of my teaching methods, and how I will be assessed by my superiors. I sometimes catch myself thinking about how nerve-wracking it will be to step into my first year of teaching. However, your blog has calmed my nerves and helped me realize the true importance of teaching. I think it is important for new teachers to understand that the true goal of teaching is to educate and connect with their students. I work at a place called The Tutoring Center, and I tutor students in grades K-12 and I really understand what it means to connect with your students and how important a relationship between teacher-and student is. We are encouraged to get to know our students and what goes on in their lives. I think this relationship builds respect, like you stated in your post.

I am truly grateful that I was able to read your post, and soak up your knowledge about your experiences throughout your first year of teaching! I am excited to become a teacher, and experience my first year of empowering students and making a difference in someones life!

Thank you for your post!

Unknown said...

Hi!
I am a student in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 course at the University of South Alabama. Your blog post was amazing. I will definitely refer back to it when I become a teacher. I am working towards that goal now and will graduate in 2012. These points will show me different approaches I need to take in my teaching abilities. This will definitely keep me calm as a first year teacher. Thanks so much for all your tips and tricks!
Kristi Bain

Trieu Tran said...

Hello Mr. Clung, my name is Trieu and I am also in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class. This was a wonderful post! You have learned a lot from your first year. Thanks to your post, I will too try to communicate, be reasonable, and flexible when I start my first year. Thank you again for posting this refreshing message. I will visit this post again when I teach for the first time. Feel free to contact me here at my class blog: http://trantrieuedm310.blogspot.com/

Elizabeth Fleming said...

Hello Mr. Clung, I am a student in Dr. Stange's EDM 310 class at The University of South Alabama. I really enjoyed everything you said about preparing to be a teacher. I think that it is really important to be able to communicate with others, be flexible, and reasonable, as well as be able to listen to your students. I think that all of these things are very important to have as a teacher but I agree with you about the most important one. If you can not listen to your students and their needs then you are not going to be a good teacher. As a teacher you are there for them and if they have special needs, questions, or concerns and your are unable to help them then you are not standing up to your end of the bargain. I really enjoyed everything that you had to say about teaching. I can not wait to be out there doing it and hopefully I will have had as successful of a first year as it seems you did! Here is My Blog if you want to check it out sometime.

J. Branch EDM 510 said...

Mr. McClung, I appreciate you sharing what you have learned during your first year as a teacher. I myself am a student in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class at the University of South Alabama. I have observed, not only my own, but some of my former teachers' negligence in the points you have made. I have also found that at times, educators fall short of being a good teacher, because they are so concerned with how they appear to their colleagues. I think your blog post serves as a perfect model for the ideal teacher. Thanks for your insight! -Jameson Branch branchjamesonedm310.blogspot.com

Sarah D said...

Hi my name is Sarah, and I was assigned to read your blog by Dr.Strange at the University of South Alabama in EDM310 class.I really loved your advice and it will help me substantially when I begin to teach one day. I have yet to do my field experience so I'm not very familiar with teaching lessons yet but I will remember that it's about the children and not me or my co-workers. Thanks for sharing your words of wisdom with us. I appreciate it! Feel free to visit my blog http://davissarahedm310.blogspot.com/

AHS 7th Grade Reading said...

I am not sure what happend to my 1st comment but it did not post correctly. I am glad that you feel the student is the most important part of the school, and that teachers should not get caught up in themselves so much. Hopefully we all can learn from the things you said in this post.

Thank you

Anonymous said...

Hello Mr. Chung,

I am a student at the University of South Alabama in Dr. Strange's EDM 310. First off I want to say thank you for posting this to your blog. It was so great to hear the perspective of a first year teacher. Most of the blog post we are reading are from seasoned teachers but hearing from you was really insightful and informative. You can reach my blog at http:www.hadawayjessicaedm310.blogspot.com or my twitter is @jkbhadaway.

Anonymous said...

Mr. McClung,

I am assigned to read your essay for my class EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. We are just about midway through in our semester and I am so thankful that Dr. Strange gave us this assignment to read your essay. Not only is what you wrote insightful but it is so encouraging as well. When you wrote that your first year was magical and you thanked all who helped to make it that way I was so moved and reminded as to why I am choosing to become a teacher. Listening to children is the key. I have three kids at home and when I sit down and really listen to them they open up to me and tell me so much that is going on in their little lives. If I child sees you are listening to them it motivates them to want to do well and the goals you sent for them they will do their best to meet those goals. Mr. McClung I wish you all the best in this adventure you are on. Please write me or check out what we are up to in EDM310. My twitter is @jkbhadaway and my blog is http:/www.hadawayjessicaedm310.blogspot.com

Margeaux Estevane's EDM 310 Class Blog said...

Hi Mr. McClung. My name is Margeaux and I read this post as a requirement for my EDM310 class with Dr. Strange. I really enjoyed this post. So many times I have heard "your first year of teaching is going to be the hardest." It actually makes me nervous a little. But I step back and think a million have done it before me, so it can't be that bad. I think you gave some really sound advice and I appreciate you sharing it. I will carry it with me as I begin on my road to being an educator.

Lynn said...

Good evening sir.

My name is Jaimie Ellis, and I am reading this blog as a requirement for my EDM 310 class. I wanted to thank you for writing this blog, and let you know that I am quite interested in what you have to say about listening to your students. I agree that this can be one of the most important things one can learn as a teacher. You can find my full reactions to your blog at ellisjaimie310.blogspot.com

Brittany said...

Mr. McClung,

I am reading your post as an assignment in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class. I just wanted to say that I loved reading you post and I think every new teacher should. I am so scared about something not going as planned for my students and I am glad to know that even if I mess up, the world is not going to end. I think these are great tips and lessons that I can now use as I go out in to the teaching world. I seem to have a problem with always wanting to talk so I guess I am going to have to start practicing my listening skills because I want my students to know that I care about them and truly want them to succeed. Thank you so much for sharing you thought and experiences with the new coming educators. If you would like to contact me and see the post you can visit me at my blog Brittany's Blog. Thank you again

Lawanna Hinton said...

Hi Mr McClung
I know you have seen this many times before, but I'm a student in Dr. Strange's Edm310 class at the University of South Alabama. I would like to thank you for sharing what you learned as a first year teacher and I feel that a lot of people will benefit from your ideas and mistakes that you learned from.I think you have some really good ideas and I will be looking forward to reading more of your posts.

Nicole Kelley said...

Hi Mr.McClung,
I'm in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class and I absolutely loved your blog post! I always get a little nervous when I think about my first year of teaching, but thanks to you I know how to get through it. I'm really glad that you posted this because it gives us future teachers something to expect and look forward to. Thank you so much for that! If you'd like to see my full comment you can go to my blog http://kelleyfrancesedm310.blogspot.com/, and you can follow me on twitter if you'd like francesnicole09.

-Nicole Kelley

Chris Patrick said...

Mr. McClung,

I am currently a student in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class down here at University of South Alabama and until about a week ago I was completely against technology in classrooms for childrens use. My outlook has changed through the assignments we have had. With this being said..

After reading your post I realized why I didn't want the technology in classrooms, selfishness. I was thinking about myself and how I learned the material. My learning experience included more paper/pencil/textbooks and I wanted to teach the same as I learned. I realize now, after your post, that it doesn't matter what I think. The education is not for me it's for my students and not having the best tools for their learning is hurting their ability to achieve their goals at the best of their abilities. My blog has my education growth over the semester through my posts and assignments. Thank you for your reflection, it helped me realize how selfish I was being. You can visit my blog anytime.

Courtney Bellais said...

Mr. McClung,
I am a student of Dr. Strange’s EDM310 class at the University of South Alabama. I really enjoyed reading your post, and as well as the other commenter’s from my class I too think it is very inspiring! This is something all teachers should read, especially the ones first starting out. I hope I can take as much information from my first year and learn from it as much as you did. Thank you so much for sharing! If you would like to look at my more in depth comments about your post on my blog http://bellaiscourtneyedm310.blogspot.com/ and can contact me by email coutneybellais@gmail.com

Erin Tillman said...

My name is Erin Tillman and I am currently in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class. This post is one of the best posts that I have read so far. Honestly. I am in agreement with everything you have said. Communication between students and teachers is one of the most important things in learning. A teacher needs to know the background of the student to be able to properly communicate and have a good relationship. I hope that one day, I will be able to have each of these qualities in my classroom.

Mitch Pouliot said...

Hi Mr. McClung,
I was required to read your essay for my EDM310 class, taught by Dr. Strange. I really liked all of the points you made. It's difficult to imagine my first year of teaching, but, I will remember your advice when the time comes. The main thing I'll take away from this post is your attitude. I can tell that you love what you do by the amount of effort that you are willing to invest in your students. I appreciate you sharing your experience and thank you for being a great role model for your fellow teachers. I'm working on a blog for EDM310 and you're welcome to visit it at: http://pouliotmitchedm310.blogspot.com

Stephanie Dunaway's EDM310 Blog said...

Mr. McClung,
I read your post as an assignment in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class at the University of South Alabama. I absolutely loved the thoughts and experiences you had to offer! I plan to become an elementary school teacher, so your post provides me with a grade base of rules for myself as a teacher. Your thoughts show how much you care about and love your job and we definitely need to make an effort to conform as many teachers as possible to get on the same page. Being a teacher is without a doubt one of the most important jobs in society and it's important that we have the best people for the job. Thanks for doing such a great job teaching these students and sharing your thoughts and experiences with all of us! Together we will make a difference in schools!

Stephanie Dunaway

http://dunawaystephanieedm310.blogspot.com/

Sarah Pierce said...

Hi, my name is Sarah Pierce. I am in Dr. Strange’s EDM310 class at the University of South Alabama. I really enjoyed reading your post. I think it is really great that you’re making your teaching be about the students. I think being positive will make it easier not only on yourself but for your students as well. I really liked when you said, “In order to build the respect that we all seek in a student teacher relationship, it is important to take interest in the lives of our students.” I learned a lot about what type of teacher I want to become by reading your post. My class blog is http://piercesarahedm310.blogspot.com/.

Unknown said...

Hello
I am in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class. As an aspiring teacher, I really enjoyed reading your post - especially about being reasonable. It is really nice to hear the perspective of a first year teacher. Thank you for sharing. My blog is http://datemajarededm310.blogspot.com.

Anonymous said...

Hi! My name is Cassandra Steele, and I am in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class at the University of South Alabama. I really enjoyed reading your post. I found it to be very inspiring and informational. I love to hear what pointers and tips teachers have about their first years of teaching. It seems you learned a lot from just one year. The part about listening to students is really helpful. Reading what the child had to say about you listening really speaks to me. A lot of students really look up to their teachers as role models, and this should make us want to strive to be the best we can be. I agree that no one is perfect, and plans don't always go as planned. We have to be versatile and work with what we are given.

I read this post as an assignment for my class, and I have posted a response to it in my blog if you would like to take a look. Thank you so much for sharing your views. I found them very helpful.

Matt Miller said...

Hello Mr. McClung, I am a student at the University of South Alabama in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 Course. I will later be posting about what I read on my blog which is http://millermatthew2.blogspot.com/. That was a great self-reflection! I like that you see your flaws and admit to them. Many people have trouble doing that. And because you can identify your flaws that will definitely help you become a better teacher for your students. I know your in the right profession! I will be looking at your blog in the future I'm sure!

Teri Hampton said...

Mr. McClung,

I am a student in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class at the University of South Alabama. I would like to thank you for sharing your reflection of what you learned in your first year of teaching. Your post will help many future teachers. I know I will remember your post if I am fortunate enough to get a teaching job. You can contact me via my class blog (http://hamptonteriedm310fall2010.blogspot.com/) or twitter (@terihampton.)

Thank you!

Teri Hampton

Darlene Staimpel said...

Mr. McClung,

I am in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class and enjoyed reading your post. I will always keep your suggestions in mind while growing and developing into my teaching career. I especially agree with not being afraid of technology and we should all continue to learn! Education and technology are powerful! I will continue to follow your blog to see how your journey progresses.

Good luck and thanks for sharing!

Crystal Raper said...

Mr.McClung,
I really enjoyed reading your blog it was very interesting to get insight on how your fist year as a teacher went, and all the things you learned from your first year. I am currently attending South Alabama and it was required by my teacher Dr. Strange from EDM 310 to read your blog. It was very inspiring to read, and I hope to read more.

Thank you so much!!!!

Crystal Raper said...

You can check out my insight of what I read if you like on my blog http://rapercrystaledm310.blogspot.com/ I would love to know what you thought. Thanks again!!!

Carly Dougherty said...

Mr. McClung,
My name is Carly Dougherty and I am currently enrolled in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class at the University of South Alabama. This is a wonderful blog to read for first year teachers! I agree that communication is one of the most important aspects. Communication with students and with faculty/administrators. i agree with technology use. In this age we have to fully embrace the capacity of technology. It is important to teachers as well as students to be able to know and use technology in and outside of the classroom. I feel like as a teacher I would want my lesson plans to go the way I wrote them and would beat myself if they didn't. I'm glad you posted that you were like that and had to get out of the mindset in order to succeed. I also agree that a teacher you must continuously do learning. Just like doctors and nurses, they have to continually learn what they do. There are so many websites and articles and video to read and watch for teachers that it makes it easy to continue learning. You just have to make yourself want to do it. Again thank you for sharing your first year experiences with all the new/upcoming teachers! I really appreciate your words!

Ellie Irish-Jones said...

Mr. McClung,
I am in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class which I am sure you know of by now judging from the hundreds of comments! Your post has obviously been very influential for many educators and students. I really enjoyed the blog post. I think your tone through out made it even more influential. You made some very good points. In the post you had written "In order to be effective you have to be able to let your audience drive your instruction." I think you are right on, many teachers forget about who they are teaching to and are more concerned with if they are doing things perfectly. You also made comments about listening to our students. Like any healthy and positive relationship listening is key. If we are not listening to our students, how can we strive to teach them above and beyond. I think your students look at you as a positive role model and I hope I can have that quality when I have my own classroom. Thank you for sharing! You can see the rest of my response at my blog, www.irishjonesellieedm310.blogspot.com

Ellie Irish-Jones

Leah Davis said...

Hi. I am astudent in Dr. Strange's EDM310 course at the University of South Alabama. I really enjoyed your post. It's scary going into the profession. I am glad to hear that not all lessons are perfect though! I also hear that what you'll learn 10x more in the classroom than you'll learn in classes to prepare. Thank you for assuring us that as teacher, we will not be perfect! I know I will be a nervous wreck my whole first year. I am glad to know that all teachers are expected to learn a lot with experience. Thank you for the encouraging words and tips! You can check out my blog at http://davisleahedm310.blogspot.com/.

Amberli said...

Mr McClung, I am a student in Dr Strange's EDM 310 class. I really like that you shared your mistakes. Hearing about your experience is kind of relieving that it's not that bad or scary and as a teacher you learn along with your students. I also love the idea of technology in the classroom. Reading your post is such a great help to students entering the same profession. Thanks for sharing. Your post was very inspiring. You can check out my blog at :http://chastangamberliedm310.blogspot.com/

Leslie Ketchum said...

Hello Mr. McClung,
I am reading your blog as an assignment from Dr. Strange's EDM 310 Class. I thought this was a great post and very helpful for other new teachers and teachers in the making. I can tell just from this that you must be a great teacher. There are not that many teachers that really take their students to heart and I believe we need more of them. Thank you for your advice and I hope that people take advantage of them and become better teachers. Feel free to contact me at My Blog or Email Me.

Kayla Salas said...

Hi! I am from Dr. Strange's EDM310 class. Your post was great! As a future educator, some of these are things I would not have thought of yet. It was very helpful to me and I am sure others as well. I will be taking advantage of these points as I start my career! Thank you for posting this! Also, you can view my blog at http://salaskaylaedm310.blogspot.com/

Lisa said...

Mr. McClung. I am a student in EDM310, in Dr. Strange's class. I have been instructed to read your post and comment. I am glad I was given the assignment, and feel privileged to have gotten to read your experience. I thoroughly enjoyed reading what you had to say, so let me just start off by saying thank you for sharing your lessons with us!

I am glad I was given this assignment because I feel that this is something all traits a teacher should possess. I feel that instead of teachers having to find out the hard way (through actual experience) which can damage the efficiency of your teaching during the first year (for your first class), it is better to know what to expect, like the imperfect lesson plan, and what they should strive to do/be.
I shall always remember what you said about listening to your students. I have seen, through my own journey through school, that some of my classmates came from broken homes and that school was their safe haven. I wonder what their lives would have been like if they didn't have the teacher to listen to them. It's a scary thought, really.

Thanks again for sharing.
You can read a full response to your post on my blog at ferrolisaedm310.blogspot.com
Lisa Ferro

Haley Riviere said...

Hi Mr. McClung! I am from Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class at the University of South Alabama and I am reading your blog post as an assignment. I am so glad that I read this because it is such good advice for a future teacher. I think this post is great because it allows us insight to what to expect when we are new teachers. Also how to react to different struggles we may have. I am so thankful I got to read this and I really appreciate you sharing your advice and experiences! You can reach me at my class blog: http://rivierehaleyedm310.blogspot.com/

Brandi said...

Hi, Mr. McClung! I am a student at The University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. I am in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class. You can visit my class blog at alexanderbrandilynnedm310@blogspot.com.

I appreciate you sharing this blog post. As someone who will be a first year teacher in about a few years, I enjoyed your insight and was glad to see that you overcame the obstacles you faced. I liked your points about not being afraid of technology and to never stop learning. Dr. Strange tells us that if we're not willing to learn new things then we should reconsider being teachers and I completely agree. I'm trying to be more open minded when it comes to taking new advice and new ways of teaching. Again, thank you for sharing!

Brandi Alexander

Kindra Blackwell Edm310 Class Blog said...

My name is Kindra Blackwell. I was assigned to read your post as part of my EDM310 with Dr. Strange! My major is elementary education and I cant wait to start teaching! Wow those are such simple things, but they are definantely important. I love what you said about adults being scared about technology. It is so true, there is no reason to why someone would not want to be part of such an amazming thing. Thank You for sharing what you learned!

Mr. Rease said...

Hi Mr. McClung, I’m a student from Dr. Strange’s EDM 310 class and read your post as an assignment. I thought your post was very informational for a first year teacher. I agree with all the tips you suggested especially the points about being reasonable, listening to your students, and never stop learning. These suggestions are essential to becoming an effective teacher. Well great post Mr. McClung, I really enjoyed reading it!

AnMarie Lane said...

Hi Mr. McClung. I am currently in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class and have been assigned to read your blog. I have really enjoyed seeing all of the things that you learned as a first year teacher. I feel that your best advice was not to make the goals that are set for our students too high and them scold them when they do not reach those goals. I know when I begin teaching I will have to set my students up for accomplishing their goals so that they feel proud and are encouraged to continue working hard. I took your advice about technology to heart because I am not the kind of person who has ever really used a lot of technology, but I know that I will have to go my students the opportunity to do so. I am slowly becoming more and more acquainted with it in hopes of giving my students all of the educational benefits that it can provide. Thank you so much again for sharing your thoughts with us!

Hailey Rascoe said...

Mr.McClung,
This is a great post, especially for future teachers like I will be. I am in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class and he told us to read this blog. He had good reason to do so. This is very good advice. So many teachers worry about how perfect their lessons are. Thanks to your post maybe it will stick into everyone's head that it is about your student! It is not a game of how perfect your lesson can be! Thank you for this post!Please feel free to contact me anytime! I would love to hear more from you! MY BLOG!!

Carlis said...

Very well said! I read this post as a requirement for my EDM310 class at the University of South Alabama. The points you made are very essential to situations, students, and teachers now. One point you made that was very important was how we should always listen to students. In response to your post which can be found on my blog (http://howzecarlisedm310.net), I will be further explaining my reflections. Great post!

Katherine said...

Thank you so much for this post Mr. McClung. I am currently enrolled at the University of South Alabama in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 course. So much of what you said has really been on my mind. As an aspiring elementary educator, I always wonder how well I will be able to understand and connect wit my students. Your insight and helpful information really make it easier to know that it is possible. Again, thank you so much for sharing this experience.

Katherine Haygood

Regina Bunch said...

Hey. I am a student in Dr. Strange's EDM310 course at the University of South Alabama. Thank you for sharing your experience and lessons learned during your first year of teaching! I think many teachers go into the classroom thinking about themselves-they want to feel like they are important when truly the teacher should not be trying to build themself up, but to build the students they see on a daily basis. I like that you take the time to realize and post about the struggles and lessons in communication, technology and encourage others not to give up.
I have a feeling that your second year of teaching was awesome and I am sure your students love their teacher.
Thank you for sharing your experience with everyone (especially those who will be facing the same struggles in their own classroom).

Regina Bunch
http://www.bunchreginaedm310.blogspot.com

Leviticus Wilson said...

Mr. McClung,
That is a wonderful post. I really enjoyed reading it. I am a student of Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class at the University of South Alabama. This post has really encouraged me about my decision to become a teacher. Lately, I have been doing observations at a local elementary school and talking to the teachers have really discouraged. Not only do they not have a passion for what they do, they seem to have just given up. I have been asked several times "Are you sure you really want to do this". Taking in what you have said, I now know that teaching is what I want to do. If you have any comments, you can leave them via twitter at Levi08.

Tara Watson said...

Mr. McClung,
I am a student in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class and have been assigned to read your post. I am extremely grateful that I had the opportunity to read about your experience from your first year teaching. You gave some very helpful advice about lessons plans and listening that I look forward to experiencing on my own in the near future.
Your reflection on communication was also very thought-provoking. You helped me to come to the realization that communication is a skill, not a natural instinct, and it is something which must be developed. Thank you so much for sharing your reflection, which has helped me to grow a bit more in my learning experiences. If you would like to read my further comments on your post, you can view my blog.
I also have a Twitter account which you can contact me on.

Thanks again!

Lola Solano said...

Mr. McClung, I am a student in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 Class this Fall at USA college. Your reflection brought back so many memories of my first year as a teacher. I am taking this class to reinstate my teacher certificate. I have been a stay at home mother for 11 years and am ready to get back into the work force. I will be starting all over. With the advancement of technology, there is so much for us to learn about. I am really happy with my decision to take this class. I am learning so much and will leave this class with lots of ideas. Check out my blog if you get a chance. http://solanololaedm310.blogspot.com/2010/10/blogpost-9.html You may have your hands full with over 274 posts.

RobinGarland said...

Mr. McClung, My name is Robin Garland. I am a student at the University of South Alabama and I am in Dr. Strange’s EDM310 class. I am reading your essay as a requirement for this class. I am thankful I was assigned this because so many things you said hit home to me. The other day I overheard my grandmother explaining to her friend how smart I was. The reason she thinks this is quite funny. It is because I use mapquest to find directions to places I am unfamiliar. I understand this is because my grandmother is so unfamiliar with technology because we all know that mapquest is not a big deal. I am glad she thinks I am smart. It is so important for people to communicate. I think teachers have to talk to their co-workers, students, and their parents. You sound like you are a wonderful teacher that cares deeply for your students. Thanks for writing this article and sharing it with us.
http://garlandrobinedm310.blogspot.com/

Rachel Ward said...

My name is Rachel Ward and I'm in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class.

As a soon to be teacher, I hope to keep this message and these values in mind and in practice.

My summary and reaction to your post can be found on my blog

Thank you very much for this post!

Phill said...

Mr. McClung I am a student at the University of South Alabama in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class. I really enjoyed your article on the first year of teaching for you and it has settled several of my own fears about teaching. I have often wondered if I will be able to be the person my children will need. As you stated we should also never let ourselves become so inflexible that we cannot change or alter our plans to fit a current dilemma. It would be a pleasure to talk to you my blog post is http://cooperphillipedm310.blogspot.com/
Again thank you for posting this wonderful reflection of your first year of teaching.

sherrie spence edm 310 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
sherrie spence edm 310 said...

Hi Mr. McClung,
I love this post! It's great to hear such good advice from a first year teacher. I am a student at the University of South Alabama in Dr. Strange's class. I agree with every point you made especially the one on being reasonable. I will keep on this in mind going into my first year. Thanks so much for writing this and all the great advice. You can view my
personal blog or you can email me

Regina Simmons said...

Mr. McClung,
I am a student at the University of South Alabama seeking a degree in Elementary Education and am taking EDM 310 with Dr. Strange. He asked me to read your post and write about it as an assignment. I am very thankful he did because I thought your post was very helpful, inspiring, and positive. I often hear and read just horror stories about being a first year teacher and your post was a refreshing antidote to the negative and point of view that seems to be so prevalent. Attitude is the most important thing and the hardest thing to teach. I have always thought we should try to learn more through others experiences. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences, lessons learned positivity and antidotes for life. You can read my blog at http://simmonsreginaedm310.blogspot.com/

Emily Pilotte said...

Hi Mr. McClung! My name is Emily Pilotte and I am in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class. We had to read this post as a requirement for his class. I truly enjoyed your thoughts on everything you've learned. I completely agree with what you've said here. You've reminded people of somethings I think we forget sometimes. Like to listen to students and to be flexible. We do get so caught up in making things perfect and then stress out when our plans don't go accordingly. I also think listening to students is one of the most important jobs we have. I will definitely take your points to heart when I teach. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts! I really enjoyed it! Here is my blog, which has a post regarding this post.

http://pilotteemilyedm310.blogspot.com/

Krystin Pavey said...

Hi Mr. McClung. My name is Krystin Pavey and I am an Elementary Education major at the University of South Alabama. I am in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class and was assigned to read your post. I thought this post was very interesting. I am not yet a teacher, but I think that this will be a great guideline for me to refer back to in my first year of teaching. If you wish to read my full response to your post, you can find it here.

Caitlin Jaynes said...

Mr.McClung,
My name is Caitlin and I have read your post as a requirement for Dr. Strange's EDM310 course at the University of South Alabama. I'm so glad that I was able to discover your post through this course. It's very enlightening and thought-provoking. I love what you had to say about listening to your students. I find it very important and know that when I was in school, I appreciated when my teachers took the time to listen to me. My response to your post can be found in my blog at jaynescaitlinedm310.blogspot.com . Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts about what you've learned. It gave me a wonderful insight and some expectations as a future teacher.
-Caitlin Jaynes

Ali Reynolds said...

My name is Ali Reynolds and I am student in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class. I really enjoyed the comments you made. I know that when I step into the classroom my first year, I am going to feel the same way. Your comments were very helpful. You can read more of my comments about your post at http:reynoldsaliedm310.blogspot.com/

cassandra williams said...

Mr. McClung,
My name is Cassandra Williams; I am in Dr. Strange EMD310 Class at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. This comment is a requirement for his class. I think I would have still commented on your post even if this were not a requirement.
Although I will not know what the experience feels like until I am in a classroom of my own. Technology has allowed me to read some experiences of others, so that I can have an idea on what to expect. I also believe the idea that we should all continue to learn, no matter what profession. I do not see how you could be a teacher and not care for you students. The students are like family. As teachers we spend most our time with our students. You are so right about listening to your students because we may be the only one that will listen. In every education class that I have taken, I have heard all my instructors say "Listen to your students; you may be the only one."
Mr. McClung, I would like to thank you for taking the time out to share your experience with me, and I am also glad I had the chance read your post. Sandra Williams’ EDM310 Class blog . Thank you

Kiara Blackmon said...

Hi Mr. McClung,

My name is Kiara, and I am reading your blog as an assignment for Dr. Strange's EDM310 class. As a future teacher, I really appreciate your blog. This information is very useful and help. It is really good that you have noticed these things, because I work at a elementary school and I do not think all the teachers understand this. Thank you for this blog, because it is going to help me as a teacher. You may contact me on my blog http://blackmonkiaraedm310.blogspot.com/ or my twitter account at kiarablackmon.

Krysten Malone said...

Mr. McClung,

Hello! I am taking EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama and I was required by Dr. Strange to read and comment on this post. I shared in my own blog post that this was by far the most enjoyable and rewarding post that I have read yet. I like it because it is so real and genuine. I especially liked the quote from one of your students: "I know my teacher cares about me as a person when he.
- Listens to what I say" This is remarkable; it really demonstrates how important listening is. I also liked your closing when you say that we all must continue to learn. As I shared in my post, you have really given me an idea as a future educator what I should expect my first year. You've also taught me how to better myself before I even begin my educator-excursion. Thank you so much for your time and your post!

Krysten Malone

krystenmlon8@gmail.com
malonekrystenedm310.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Hello Mr. McClung,

My name is Matthew Rodriguez and I was given your blog as a assignment for my EDM310 class taught at the University of South Alabama by Mr. Strange. Let me just start off by saying how impressed I was with your post. It was very refreshing and I love your honesty. I'm glad you made it through your first year which I feel is the toughest for any teacher and I wish you the best of luck in the future.

Kathryn Buchanan said...

Mr. McClung,
My name is Kathryn Buchanan, and I am a student in Elementary Education at the University of South Alabama. I am commenting on your post as an assignment for Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class. I really enjoyed reading it, and I think you have some wonderful things to say about what you learned from your first year teaching experience. I agree with all of your points and hope to implement them into my own teaching experience. You can visit my blog at www.buchanankathrynedm310.blogspot.com to see some of my other comments. Thank you very much for all your helpful advice and ideas, and thank you for letting me read them!
-Kathryn Buchanan

Anonymous said...

First I will like to say congratulation on your first year of teaching. Also I will like to say thank for the wise advice you so kindly gave to us. When I graduate and get into my profession I will surely refer back to this blog! http://reesegk7.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

and here my twitter account if you need to get in touch with me twitter.com/thecazohshow

Courtney said...

Mr. McClung,

My name is Courtney and I am a student in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class at the University of South Alabama. Thank you for this post on your blog!! Two of the points that stuck with me are listen to your students and never stop learning. You are absolutely right...at times, we are the only ones listening to our students! We listen to not only what they say, but what they don't say! As I began EDM 310, I did not realize just how much I would be learning on a daily basis!! You are never too old to learn!!

Again, thanks for the post!!

Courtney
http://bankscourtneyedm310.blogspot.com/

Ms. Miller said...

Hi Mr. McClung,

I have just finished reading your inspirational testimony in your recent blog. What a great job you did posting your reflections. As a student in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama, I can only hope that the students which graduate and become teachers, will have blogs of this quality after their first year also.

The best part of your blog to me was your comment that a teacher should relate to their students during the lesson. I often see students quit listening during a lecture. It appears to me that the teacher normally is talking at them not to them. Students like to be part of the class, not just present. I look forward to my first year teaching and the many years to follow, as I imagine you did. Thank you for taking time out of your day to post this blog. Hopefully each student that reads this in our EDM 310 class will find at least one thing to motivate them to be a better teacher. I will post my thoughts about your blog at my blog,
http://www.millershellieedm310.blogspot.com/. Please feel free to view my blog at your convenience.

Thank you so much,

Shellie E. Miller

Tiffany Morris said...

Mr. McClung,
I am a student of Dr. Strange. I am taking his EDM 310 class. I think your post was amazing. It was truly inspiring. I think all teachers, no matter how long they have been teaching, should read this and take your points into consideration. Thank you for creating such a wonderful post. As a future educator, I hope I can use these lessons to their fullest extent. I have a blog if you would like to check it out. http://morristiffanyedm310.blogspot.com/

Neileigh Chastain said...

Hey Mr.McClung!
I am a student from the University of South Alabama. I am taking Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class. I just wanted to let you know that I have really enjoyed reading this post. It is great advice for any teacher anywhere and I am glad I got the chance to read it. My favorite thing I must say is the opening: "An important decision I made this year: stay positive." This is the best thing to do in all aspects of life and more people should try it. Thanks so much for sharing! My blog is: http://chastainneileighedm310.blogspot.com/

Stephanie Belletty said...

Mr. McClung I am in Dr. Stranges EDM 310 class. I loved your post it was very insightful! It sounds like you learned a whole lot in your first year as a teacher. My favorite part was what the student said about how they know that the teacher cares. I will keep what you have said in mind for the future when I become a teacher! You can find my blog at http://bellettystephanieedm310.blogspot.com

Katherine Kirby said...

Hi Mr. McClung. I am viewing your blog as an assignment for Dr. Strange's EDM 310 course.
I totally agree with everything you said. Teachers sometimes need to slow down and not worry about being perfect for the admistration and worry more about the kids. If you are focused more on them then you should be the great teacher you've always wanted to be.Thank you for posting this and if you'd like to view my blog you can find it at http://kirbykatherineedm310.blogspot.com/

Catherine Soutullo's said...

Hi, Mr McClung
My name is Catherine Soutullo, I read your post as a requirement for my EDM310 course, with Dr. Strange.I really like what you have written and I agree that we as teachers should be more aware of what is important to our students. We should always be there for them not just as a figure of authority, but to really listen to them and try to understand them. I think you are a good teacher by what you have written in this post. You care for your students and that is great. I may be reached at Catherine Soutullo's EDM310 class blog or cwsoutullo@gmail.com and I thank you for sharing your thoughts about teaching.
Catherine Soutullo

whitney bosarge said...

Mr. McClung, I am a student in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class at the University of South Alabama, I really enjoyed reading your post and I appreciate that you took the time out of your busy schedule to write some advice for future and current teachers. It is very good advice.

Anonymous said...

Mr. McClung, my name is Ashley Goodwin and I am in Dr. Strange's edm310 course. I thoroughly enjoyed your post and I will keep these points in mind as I go through the rest of my educational journey. I really enjoyed the part about teachers listening to their students because my favorite teacher was one who did just that, listened to me. Thank you so much for the insight, extremely helpful!
You can contact me via my blog if you would like at: Ashley's Blog

Brooke Broadus said...

Mr. McClung,
Hi! My name is Brooke and I am one of Dr. Strange's EDM 310 students at the University of South Alabama. I would first like to say THANK YOU for sharing this excellent post with us! It was very helpful for me as a future educator! You can view my blog at http://broadusbrookeedm310.blogspot.com/. Everything mentioned in your post was extremely helpful! One of my favorite things you said was ”Our job as teachers is to simply pick them up after they fail, dust them off, and encourage them to try again.” This is exactly right! Thanks for sharing your post with everyone!

Sydney Broughton's EDM 310 Class Blog said...

Mr. McClung,

My name is Gaillard Broughton and I am in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class at The University of South Alabama. Thank you for sharing this post. I really enjoyed it. Reading this will definitely help me with teaching. These are good points and tips. Every teacher should read them. Feel free to check out my blog. http://broughtonsydneyedm310fall2010.blogspot.com/

Elo Martin said...

Mr. McClung,
I am also a student at the University of South Alabama in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class.

After reading your post, I have learned a lot about what to expect when it's going to be my turn to be a teacher. Now I know what I need to work on, and how I should approach unexpected situation- keep smiling.
I think that it's very important that future teachers understand that their lessons will not always work as planned and they need to be able to work with it. I also enjoyed reading the part where you mentioned that teachers should build a relationship with their students, and to be able to do so you need to know about them and their background.
Thank you for sharing your experience.

You can read a reflection of your post on my blog: martineloedm310.blogspot.come

Christina said...

Hello Mr.McClung,
I am student from the University of South Alabama in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class.

Thank you so much for sharing how your first year went as a teacher. I know as a future educator, no body knows how it is going to be and nobody's first year is going to be the same. There is no book that says this how it is going to be.

This post does open up my eyes on what to expect. It is kind of sad that when you are studying to become a teacher you really kind of forget what it's like to see from the students perspective.

I really did enjoy reading your post. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences with all of us.

If you would like to read my reflection of the assignment, please go to sobolewskichristinaedm310.blogspot.com or contact me via twitter (@sobo_what_ski)

Sincerely,

Christina Sobolewski

Amelia Platt's said...

Hello Mr. McClung,
I am a student from Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class. I loved your post. It is so true as teachers we need to keep learning because if we expect our kids to learn more then we need to be ready with the latest technology and more. We also need to listen to our kids because sometimes they know what is best on how to help them or teach them. Some of your ideas will be very helpful when I start to teach in a few years. I enjoyed reading your post and will be summarizing it on my blog ameliaplattedm310@blogspot.com

Christie said...

My name is Christie Odom and I am one of Dr. Strange's EDM 310 students. Reading your post really gave me insight as to how things are going to be when I'm a teacher. You have made some very good observations and I am so glad you shared them with us. I completely agree with everything you say. When I start my career, I know that these are some things that I will keep in mind! Thanks again.

Aaron Griffin said...

Mr. Mcclung,my name is Aaron Griffin and I am in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class at the University of South Alabama, and I wanted to thank you for your post. I found your thoughts to be very inspiring and helpful. I am going to be teaching at the elementary school level and I think that your ideas of how a teacher should teach and act are very honorable. As teachers we should be interested in our students lives and be willing to invest in them. We need to constantly be learning ourselves so that we can be the best possible teachers in our schools. Thank you again for the post, I think these concepts should be very helpful for all teachers.

Carey Dekle's EDM310 Class Blog said...

Mr. McClung-
I truly enjoyed reading this post! I really enjoy hearing first hand experiences from other teachers. I am a student at the University of South Alabama, majoring in elementary education. Dr. Strange assigned your blog to us and I am really looking forward to keeping it with it! I agree with what you say about really learning about the kids' lives outside of school. They really appreciate the extra effort! Thanks again for the great advice and I look forward to hearing more of your experiences!
Carey Dekle
deklecarey.edm310.blogspot.com

Sharon Barrow said...

My name is Sharon barrow and I am an English/Secondary education major at the University of South Alabama in Mobile Alabama. I really enjoyed your post. Your self reflection on the things learned was really inspiring. It is so easy just to brush things off and shift the blame on stupid kids or other things. No one is perfect and we learn from our mistakes. You'll do great in your second year.

Thank you
Sharon Barrow
http://barrowsharonedm310.blogspot.com/

Remi La'fae said...

Hi,
I am a EDM310 student at the University of South Alabama in Mobile. I found your post very informative and I will use it when I begin teaching. Thank you for sharing your experience with the world. Here is the link to my blog http://poolezacharyedm310.blogspot.com/

Unknown said...

Hi Mr. McClung,

My name is Katlyn and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I am majoring in Elementary Education and am currently taking EDM 310 with Dr. Strange. I really enjoyed reading your post. You have great and helpful advice. Thinking about teaching and having my classroom makes me pretty nervous. I really like what you say about being flexible. NO one is perfect and situations will come up that can change my plans or lessons and that is okay. Thank you so much for sharing.

Katlyn Hurt

Angelica Scott' s EDM 310 Class Blog said...

Mr. McClung
Thank you for sharing your information. I found every thing you said to be very helpful. I am a student at the University of South Alabama.

Leslie Roberson said...

Mr. Clung,

No one could've said it better. I can only imagine how scary it is going to be my first year in a classroom and you have given words of wisdom. I am student at South Alabama in EDM 310 Dr. Strange

http://robersonleslieedm310.blogspot.com/

Amanda Bosarge's EDM 310 Class Blog said...

I am a student of Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class. This blog post is very encouraging to me in many ways.
As a first-year substitute teacher, I can relate to your post. Every bit of advice you give rings true to my experiences. Many times I catch myself thinking about how to get my (middle school) students quiet so that other teachers will think that I am a 'good sub.' I learned very fast that you cannot educate students by working under this self-centered mindset. I began to loosen up after a few weeks and now I focus much more on the students. I try to learn their names and play educational games as much as possible. I try to get them interested in the lessons and help them to apply the lessons to their own lives. Sometimes we get rowdy and teachers have to ask us to be quiet, but they are learning :). I have had some lessons or ideas not work like I plan or intend. Every grade level of students is different and they all react differently. Sixth graders like to color, eighth graders would rather talk. I have learned how to be flexible, especially since I have a different class, students, and curriculum to teach every time I sub. I have learned how to ask for help from other teachers. Humility is a great characteristic to have when working with children. They will either humble your or you can humble yourself and show them that you do not know everything and are just as willing to learn something new. I am not as afraid of technology as I used to be. I see its importance, but I still will not allow them to use their phones in class :). It is also important to listen to your students. Students respect me more because I listen to them. Even if you have something else on your mind, it means everything to that one student when you take the time to listen to him talk about his pet frog named Julio. I exhibit great effort to listen to any and every student who wants my ear. They each deserve the special attention from a teacher. I plan on being a humble always-learning teacher for my students. I still have a lot to learn.
You can visit my blog at
http://www.bosargeamandaedm310.blogspot.com/

Amanda Bosarge's EDM 310 Class Blog said...

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this blog post. I am a student of Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class. This blog was very encouraging to me. Thank you for humbly sharing your experiences.

As a first-year substitute teacher, I can relate to your post. Every bit of advice you gave rings true to my experiences. Many times I catch myself thinking about how to get my (middle school) students quiet so that other teachers will think that I am a 'good sub.' I learned very fast that you cannot educate students by working under this self-centered mindset. I began to loosen up after a few weeks and now I focus much more on the students. I try to learn their names and play educational games as much as possible. I try to get them interested in the lessons and help them to apply the lessons to their own lives. Sometimes we get rowdy and teachers have to ask us to be quiet, but they are learning :). I have had some lessons or ideas not work like I plan or intend. Every grade level of students is different and they all react differently. Sixth graders like to color, eighth graders would rather talk. I have learned how to be flexible, especially since I have a different class, students, and curriculum to teach every time I sub. I have learned how to ask for help from other teachers. Humility is a great characteristic to have when working with children. They will either humble your or you can humble yourself and show them that you do not know everything and are just as willing to learn something new. I am not as afraid of technology as I used to be. I see its importance, but I still will not allow them to use their phones in class :). It is also important to listen to your students. Students respect me more because I listen to them. Even if you have something else on your mind, it means everything to that one student when you take the time to listen to him talk about his pet frog named Julio. I exhibit great effort to listen to any and every student who wants my ear. They each deserve the special attention from a teacher. I plan on being a humble always-learning teacher for my students. I still have a lot to learn.

Amanda Bosarge's EDM 310 Class Blog said...

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this blog post. I am a student of Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class. This blog was very encouraging to me. Thank you for humbly sharing your experiences.

As a first-year substitute teacher, I can relate to your post. Every bit of advice you gave rings true to my experiences. Many times I catch myself thinking about how to get my (middle school) students quiet so that other teachers will think that I am a 'good sub.' I learned very fast that you cannot educate students by working under this self-centered mindset. I began to loosen up after a few weeks and now I focus much more on the students. I try to learn their names and play educational games as much as possible. I try to get them interested in the lessons and help them to apply the lessons to their own lives. Sometimes we get rowdy and teachers have to ask us to be quiet, but they are learning :). Every grade level of students is different and they all react differently. Sixth graders like to color, eighth graders would rather talk. Humility is a great characteristic to have when working with children. It is also important to listen to your students. Students respect me more because I listen to them. Even if you have something else on your mind, it means everything to that one student when you take the time to listen to him talk about his pet frog named Julio. They each deserve the special attention from a teacher. I plan on being a humble always-learning teacher for my students. I still have a lot to learn.

Amy Crismon said...

Hi!

My name is Amy and I am from Dr. Strange's EDM310 class. I loved that you wrote a post about what you learned after your first year of teaching. It is important to us students who have not taught yet to know what to expect. I liked hearing about your insight on what you have learned. I also liked that you said "be flexibe." We do not have to have a perfect lesson. The most important thing is that the students understand what you are teaching. I also liked that you said "never stop learning." It is important that we continue to learn. We can learn from the people around us and even our students. Thank you for writing this post!

BARRY SHRADER said...

Mr. McClung,
Thank you for your post. I am a student in DR, Strange's EDM 310 class at the University of South Alabama. I was required to read your post and I really enjoyed it. I believe we see eye to eye in a ton of areas regarding our students. I just hope you continue to grow and learn and best of luck this year.

Email: shradbb@gmail.com
http://shraderbarryedm310.blogspot.com/

Unknown said...

Hello my name is Edward Hughes and i'm in John Strange's EDM310 class. My assignment today was to read and respond to your post. When i read through your post the thought that every soon to be teacher should read this post came to mind. I think that its important as educators to share our ideas and experiences to help people learning to be teacher prepare for their career as educators. Thank you for sharing I hope to hear more from you and if you would like to read through my blog its at http://hughesedwardedm310.blogspot.com/.

Sterling Strom said...

Hey! I Sterling and I currently attend The University of South Alabama in Mobile. I am in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 Class and was told to comment on your blog. All of your DO's and Don't were great and I agreed with all of them. This article made me focus in more on what you have to be prepared to do as a teacher. I like how you said that you have to be flexible and responsible. Being a teacher isn't all about you, it is about the students adn what they learn. I loved reading your blog, and thank you for sharing it with us. click here to check out my blog.

Mary Mauceri said...

Mr. McClung, I appreciate, so very much, your ability and desire to share your positive thoughts and learning experiences with fellow teachers and student teachers. I am in Dr. J. Strange's EDM 310 class and have been assigned your blog to comment on both here and on my own blog. Our class focuses on creating a PLN so that we can be technologically relevant teachers in our "microwave" society. Reading blogs with good advice and positive messages is what makes this class so special to me. Thankyou!

Toni Parrish said...

Hi my name is Toni Parrish and I am a student at the University of South Alabama majoring in elementary education. I am currently taking EDM310 with Dr. Strange and he has provided us with the link to your blog to read and I love it. Not only do you speak honestly about you experience as a first year educator, but you also provided me with great goals to keep in mind once I start teaching. The one goal that you said that I try to always remember is that even as the teacher you should never cut out your ability to learn more. Thank you for sharing this information, you can view additional comments on my blog:parrishtoniedm310.blogspot.com

Aaron Fiveash's EDM 310 Class Blog said...

This is such an amazing post Mr. McClung, Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts for us 'teachers in training.' I am in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 course at the University of South Alabama and we were ask to read and comment on your post as part of the course. My comments can be found at http://fiveashaaronedm310.blogspot.com/ along with more of my work for his class. Out of all the post we have read this semester I feel that this has to be the most useful and important post to me. You have helped us future educators out by giving us a map to success and for that I am thankful.

KhaelaCH said...

I am a student in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class. Your post encompasses everything a teacher and future teachers should keep in mind when they are among their students. I thank you for sharing your thoughts. If you are interested, my blog is at http://hueykhaelaedm310.blogspot.com/

JoshuaKingEDM310 said...

Hey Mr. McChung. I am so glad I have the opportunity to read a post about a teacher's first year experience, and more importantly what was learned from that first year! Thank you for being open and allow aspiring teachers like me to learn from you. I can't imagine that I will be teaching in a couple of years! I know the first year will be monumental in my career. Thank you for giving me some skill sets to practice to make me a better teacher.

Identity Signs said...

Hi Mr. McClung, my name is Laura Scott, and I am also in Dr. Strange's class at the University of South Alabama. I really enjoyed reading your essay. It is comforting to know that I can enter into the classroom now, armed with the knowledge you have accumulated through your first year of teaching. As a undergrad student, I have a lot of concerns about pressure and rules and lessons... Your essay is encouraging to me and has also given me a new perspective. I appreciate your ideas and I really enjoyed my assignment to read your post.
Thanks,
Laura
http://scottlauraedm310.blogspot.com/

logan said...

I really enjoyed your post Mr.McClung! I feel like everything that you said is very important for new teachers comming in the school system. I feel like aside from all the certifications that teacher have to have, they should have to take a class that have these processes in them. You can read furter comments on My Blog http://bennettloganedm310.blogspot.com/! Thank you again!

Meg Rymell said...

Hi, My name is Megan Rymell and I am in Dr. Strange's edm310 class. I really enjoyed you post. The list of things teachers should keep in mind is really helpful and I will take this lesson with me.
Rymellmeganedm310.blogspot.com

Donna Gill said...

As you've received many times on this blog post, I am a student at the University of South Alabama in EDM310. I would like to thank you for sharing your "lessons learned" from your first year of teaching. I believe that every upcoming teacher who has read this will learn so much from it. I know that I have. These points that you have made are worded in such a way that I will be able to remember and keep in mind during my first years of teaching. Thank you again for sharing them.

Phill said...

Very good blog Mr. McClung. I am a student a the University of South Alabama in Dr. Stranges EDM310 class. As you stated we must not get upset at our children when they do not meet our expectation, but we must nurture them and help them to reach the goals that they can reach. This will allow us to develop an even better student and teacher environment. We must also learn to not be so hard on our selves for we as teachers are always learning and developing our own nitches. Thanks for this very enlightening post. If you wish to comment on me my blog post is http://cooperphillipedm310.blogspot.com/.

Abby Smith said...

Mr. McClung,
My name is Abby Smith. I am a student of Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class at the University of South Alabama. I have read your post as an assignment for Dr. Strange, and I am so glad that I have. I really enjoyed reading the many things you have learned. The things you have listed are things that I believe all teachers should learn. The main focus should be on the students and what's best for them. As teachers, we have to "check ourselves at the door" sometimes and realize that we aren't the ones learning the material, so our lesson plans shouldn't be for us or for our superiors. Another thing that really stood out to me was what you said about how we, as teachers, should never stop learning. I think that is so right. I think that when a teacher refuses to keep learning and changing for the better, they are only hurting their students. If our goal as educators is to do whatever is in our power to help children become educated members of our society, then we need to be up to date in what we teach and the way that we teach. Thank you so much for writing this post! I think these are things that a lot of teachers lose sight on. My blog address is http://smithabbyedm310.blogspot.com/ if you wish to reply to my comment.
Again, thank you. It sounds like you are on your way to being an amazing teacher. I hope all goes well for you and your students.
-Abby Smith

Sarah Blankenship said...

My name is Sarah Blankenship and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I am enrolled in Dr. Strande's EDM 310 class. This was one of the most interesting blogs that I have been assigned to read. The openness and honesty will really help all those who read this blog. Thanks for the inspiraton and keep up the great work!

Sarah

blankenship703@gmail.com

Trung Nguyen said...

What an honest reflection, Mr. McClung! I tweeted my screencast response as a part of my assignment for Dr. Strange's EDM310. Here is the URL: http://screenr.com/OIF. Thanks again for sharing. I hope you are having a great year.

Allie Anderson's EDM310 Blog said...

Hello! I am a student at the University of South Alabama where I am in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class. I was assigned to read your blog and I am very glad that I did. It is written very well and is a very inspiring blog post. I wish that all teachers were as honest as you when it comes to looking back on the year that they just had and reflecting on their own teaching. Thank you!

I also have a blog, andersonaliceedm310.blogspot.com

Brandon M. Caten said...

Hi Mr. McClung,

I was assigned your blog post as part of the EDM310 class at The University of South Alabama. I thought to myself "Oh, this is just going to be another blog post that I'll read and not get much out of it" but I have to say, you said some very important things! These seem like such obvious things in a teaching environment, however, I can imagine that with the busy life of a first year teacher, these are things that are easily forgotten! Thank you so much to reminding us of things we should never forget!

Brandon M. Caten
http://CatenBrandonEMD310.blogspot.com

Rachel Saucier said...

Mr. McClung,

I am also a Student in Dr. strange EDM310 at the University of South Alabama. I really enjoyed reading your blog. I believe that many future teachers including myself will find comfort from your tips and advise. You seem to be a very passionate teacher with a strong compassion for your students. I hope to have grown as a teacher as much as you did after your first year. Thank you for sharing your blog feel free to contact me by email at rachelrene89@gmail.com or follow me on twitter @rrsaucier.

Rebekah Lloyd said...

Hi!
My name is Rebekah Lloyd, and I was instructed to read this post for an assignemt in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class. If you would like to read my thoughts on this post please visit my class blog. I am also on twitter.
I would like to say that I am very glad that I read your post. It was interesting to me because many of the things you said that you learned during your first year as a teacher, are exactly what I am learning about now in my educational classes - especially EDM 310.
I believe the two most important ideas you mentioned were the ones about listening to your students and constantly being prepared to learn. These two ideas go hand in hand, in my opinion at least, because without listening, there can be no learning. I tend to learn more by experience, so, if I actually take the time to listen to my students, I will be able to learn how to help them. In order to be able to enjoy the pursuit of knowledge, I think that the students need to be taught how to listen. So, it becomes my job to model how to listen to someone's needs, learn what needs to be done, show them how to go out and research the options, and then test out the information I gather. Hopefully, the students will be inspired to do the same.
Thank you so much for sharing your experiences with everyone! Because of posts like yours, I am going to be better prepared for what the classroom has to offer!

Unknown said...

I am a student at the University of South Alabama. Dr. Strange requires that we read your blog post. I am glad that he does. It has almost been two years since you wrote this post. I am sure it still rings true today. I am still a couple of years away from having my own classroom. I will refer back to your list many times, to help remind me that we are only human. I hope to never stop learning and to never stop listening. Feel free to visit my blog at http://oakwoodmichaeledm310.blogspot.com/. My twitter address is @michaeloakwood. Again, thank you for this inspiring post.

Tiffany Blanton said...

Hello Mr. McClung, my name is Tiffany Blanton and I am in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class. I absolutely loved reading your blog post. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. I am getting closer and closer to graduating and cannot wait to be a teacher. I cannot imagine how the 1st year of teaching can be. I definitely will try to use your thoughts when I start working in the teaching field. I agree with all of your points. I believe teachers should be open to technology as well as flexible, good listeners, and that communication is key when in the workforce and especially with the students. You make some very good points!!! You sure learned a ton of things while being there for only one year. I hope I can say the same when I start teaching. I commented and summarized your blog on my blog. I am going to leave here ways to get in contact with me if you wish to do so. Here is my twitter, the class blog, and my blog. Thanks so much!
...visitmyblogand check out the edmclassblog Twitter:tblanton1113

Pamela Boykin said...

Hello,Mr.McClung. I am joining your blog as a requirement for Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class of 2011. My twitter name is bluewater1959 or you can go to Boykin.PamelaEdm310@blogspot.com/ to see my class blog. I really agree with you on a lot of things but, the one I truly agree with is your statement "Our job as teacher's is to simply pick them up, after they fail, dust them off, and encourge them to try again.I think so many teachers give up on their students to easy."

Neely Courtney said...

Mr.McClung,
First let me say thank you for making me already feel more comfortable about my mistakes I haven't made yet. I am in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class and was assigned to read your blog. I still have 2 years before graduation but already fear the pressure and nerves of being judged on my first lessons. Your words gives comfort and assurance that teaching will have mistakes but learning will continue in both material and communication. Thanks again for sharing what you experienced. Best wishes for many happy years of teaching.

Kelly Evans said...

Mr. McClung,

My name is Kelly Evans. I am a student at, The University of South Alabama. I am in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class and was assigned to read your blog post as part of an assignment. I really enjoyed reading your blog post. All of your tips for us "newbies" was informative and educational. I am printing this out and putting it in my journal of things to remember. I appreiate you sharing your first hand knowledge with us . Maybe it will be a little easier just knowing those few things. If you want to learn a little more about me you can go to My blog or to The EDM 310 class blog

Thank you again for all of your great information!

Erin Holton said...

Mr. McClung,
I am a student at the University of South Alabama studying to become a teacher. I am thankful that my class was assigned to read your post in my EDM 310 class. The insight that you've given us is extremely helpful! In a little over a year I will enter my first year teaching, and as I'm sure you remember, it's pretty intimidating. It's really encouraging to see a teacher break down things that helped/hindered you in your teaching. I've summarized your post on my blog if you'd like to see what I had to say http://holtonerinedm310.blogspot.com. Also, you can find my on Twitter @ erinholton260. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences!

Amanda Spence said...

Mr. McClung, I am a student in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class at South Alabama. I was very impressed with your post. I agree that many teachers are terrified of technology and are holding back their students from learning a tool they will always need. As a future teacher, your post helped me be reassured of a few things. One, I can't stress over a not-so-perfect lesson (which I will). Secondly, listening to your students should be a top priority for every teacher. Lastly, your point "never stop learning" is true. If you choose to be a teacher, then you choose to be a learner. The world/society is changing regularly and it's up to us to teach what's going on. It's never to late or to early to start learning.
Thanks so much for this post. I found it very insightful!

Pamela Leasure said...

Hello. I am in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class at the University of South Alabama. I am so grateful for you sharing your experiences from your first year teaching. Anticipating a classroom full of students is daunting in many ways but having the connections that I have discovered boosts my confidence. I hope to apply some of your wisdom in my first year of teaching. Thank you again, sincerely. My comments about your blog are shared on mine: http://toddpamelaedm310.blogspot.com/2011/03/blog-post-9.html.

Mary-Katelin said...

Mr. McClung, I am from Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class at the University of South Alabama. First, I want to thank you for posting such an inspiring and helpful post. These seven things you talk about are so simple and so meaningful. To me, these are the basics of a successful teacher. You've definitely encouraged and reassured us future teachers by letting us know we're not the only ones who doesn't know what to fully expect. I know I will hold onto what you have said in my teaching career to help motivate and inspire me everyday to keep going, smile, stay positive, and know everything will work out. Thank you again for sharing your words of wisdom. You can read more of my comment on your blog at:http://mcferrinmkedm310.blogspot.com/

Kimberly Holland said...

This is a great post! I have read this post as a part of Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class and I will be reflecting on this post in my blog and if you would like to contact me, my twitter name is @kimholland90. I will soon be starting my student teaching and as I begin teaching I will be keeping your advice in mind. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences and words of wisdom.

Leslie Roberson said...

Thank you for putting out there what we all feel but don't really know how to express. I am going to become an elementary teacher and really don't know what to think when I step into my own classroom in a couple of years. I really enjoyed reading your post. I am in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 at University of South Alabama. You can reach me through my Blog at http://robersonleslieedm310.blogspot.com/ or my twitter name @lesliedr10

hoan nguyen said...

Mr. McClung,

My name is Hoan Nguyen, Im a student in EDM310 in Dr. Strange's class. I would like to thank you for sharing your first year of experience with us and I can tell you are a wonderful teacher and indeed a great person. I will take your advice and further my understanding when I'm out there to teach. You can find my response to your post at http://nguyenhoanedm310.blogspot.com/

Thanks you again for sharing,

Hoan Nguyen

Sarah Nell York said...

Dr. Mclung,
I am a student in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class. Your insight inspires to be a teacher even more! Thank you for sharing this. I know I will be constantly learning as a teacher. I will continue to follow your blog throughout the semester and beyond. You may read my further thoughts and comments on my blog at http://yorksarahedm310.blogspot.com/. Thanks again for posting!

Jennifer Hackney said...

Mr. McClung,
I am a student in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class at the University of South Alabama. I really have enjoyed reading your post. Thank you for sharing your first year experience with us. I liked what you pointed out about being flexible. No lesson is ever perfect: The lesson you plan to teach and the one you plan are always different. As a future educator, I know I will have to be flexible because you never know what will come up that you have to change your whole lesson plan. Again, thanks for the post and my personal blog is http://hackneyjenniferedm310.blogspot.com/ or twitter me @jenniferhckny

Mommy Makeover said...

Hi! My name is Rebecca, I am a student at South Alabama in Dr. Stranges Class... here is my blog and reflection on your post... http://sissonrebeccaedm310.blogspot.com/2011/03/blog-post-9.html

I absolutely loved reading your reflection on your first year teaching, I believe it is a lot of issues that new teachers struggle with yearly. Its so hard to respond to a post when all you want to say to every topic is "I agree!". But that is exactly how I feel. Thank you so much for this post!

Rebecca Sisson

Raley said...

Hello Mr. McClung! I am an EDM 310 student at the University of South Alabama and was assigned to comment on your blog post. So glad I had the opportunity to read your post because I often wonder about my first year as a teacher and it was very refreshing to hear that you made it through the imperfections with positivity, hard work and a smile on your face! This, in turn, made me smile and comforted me to know that nothing will ever be perfect and go as planned but just go with and continue to try my best! This is how I try to live my life so I believe I can handle and make it through my first year with these strong points that you have brought to the table! Thank you so much! If you would like to contact me you can do so at http://zofkoraleyedm310.blogspot.com/ or on twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/Raydog22

Nell Broughton said...

Mr. McClung, Thank you so much for sharing. My name is Nell Broughton and I am a student at the University of South Alabama in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class. I absolutely loved reading your post, it is probably one of the most favorite I have read that we have been assigned to read this year. I loved to see how much you learned and grew as a teacher within your first year, I think its truly inspirational. Thank you so much for sharing! My email is nbnellbroughton@gmail.com! Thanks again for sharing, Nell Broughton

Heart to Heart said...

Mr. McClung,
My name is Brittni Sasser and I am a student in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class. I was assigned to read and comment on your blog! After reading your blog, I found that it is very important to Dr. Strange's class. As future educators, we have some knowledge about the classroom, but we do not know everything. I think your list of rules has helped many students, who plan to be teachers, to know more about what to expect.
If you would like to view my blog, click here!
Also, add on Twitter! @bsasser8

Miles Bubbett said...

Thank you Mr. McClung for sharing your thoughts. Dr. Strange has introduced us to many great teachers through the use of technology, and I'm glad you are one that he chose. Your ideas have inspired me to change some things. I will be the first to admit that flexibility is not my strongest point, but I will work on that now. Thank you again Mr. McClung, for words of wisdom at a time most needed.
~ Miles Bubbett

If you get the chance, find me on twitter @milesbubbett or on bloggerhttp://bubbettmilesedm310.blogspot.com/

Mary Ashley York said...

Hey Mr. McClung, I am a student in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class at The University of South Alabama. I am a Physical Education major. Your post was awesome! You made some very important, helpful, and practical points. It is very refreshing to see your care and interest in your students. You have inspired me to be a teacher like you one day soon! I loved the part about just listening to your students. As a teacher, you may be the only one around them that actually does seem to care about and listen to them. I had an elementary school teacher that really inspired me and made me want to go into the field of education. It sounds like you are making quite an impact on your students! Thanks for posting that! You can contact me on Twitter @maryayork or Email: yorkmaryashley@gmail.com

Michael Armstrong said...

Mr. McClung,

My name is Michael Armstrong, and I am a student in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class. We were assigned to read and comment on your post.

I wish more teachers would take the time to reflect on their first year on the classroom for the benefit of future teachers. I was especially struck by your comments on expectations of your students. I remember going through a similar realization when I coached middle school baseball a few years ago. I had a tough time understanding why my players couldn't accomplish tasks I viewed as simple. It took me a few week to realize that my expectations were at the level I had accomplished in the sport, and that these guys had yet to experience what I had. Once I figured that out I became a better coach, and my team got better for it.

I have summarized and reflected on your post on My Blog and would love for you to read it and let me know what you think. You can also contact me on Twitter @mda326.

Thank you very much for your reflection. I will save the link to your post so I can look back on it when I get into the classroom and have trouble remembering you lessons.

Michael Armstrong

courtney said...

Mr. McClung,

Hi! I am a student in Dr. Stranges' EDM 310 class at the University of South Alabama. I throughly enjoyed reading your post. I am so glad that someone else agrees that communication is vital. I am constantly stressing to my friends and family that communication is the key to any relationship, be it family, friends, or student-teacher. I do believe communication skills are very hard to develop. And I believe the reason is because people are afraid to speak their minds, especially students. They are afraid of being wrong.
Again, I enjoyed reading what you learned your first year of teaching. I thank you for sharing it and I will keep everything you have posted in mind when I become a teacher.I invite you to follow me on Twitter, @cbengtson63 and I also invite you to visit
/2011/01/blog-assignment-1_23.html"my blog

Carly Pugh said...

Mr. McClung,
I am commenting on your blog post as part of an assignment for Dr. Strange's EDM310 class. I actually, wouldn't you know it, had the perfect comment (in my opinion) typed out...but then I had to preview it, and it made me sign in, then took me to one of those error pages, and somehow, my comment was lost. That's just like life, isn't it? It kind of cements, for me, the concepts that you wrote about. Sometimes we may have something worked out, maybe in our heads, and then it doesn't pan out like we hoped. We have to be flexible, let it roll off our backs, and learn from it. It sounds like you are growing as a teacher, and as your post was written a while back, I am sure you are learning even more. The things you listed, like being reasonable, flexible, open to learning, communicating, and embracing technology, are all skills and personal characteristics we are learning to accept and implement as students of Dr. Strange's class. It was interesting to see that someone shares the same insight and to point out that what we are learning will be useful. I would like to thank you for the insightful comments you posted in your blog. As some people are discouraging in their insight and advice on educating, and even on education as institution in and of itself, it is nice to hear, straight from the horse's mouth, what we do have to look forward to.

If you would like to read what I have written after reading your blog, you may view my blog at:My Blog
You can also reach me or follow me on Twitter using my twitter name: @carlyedm310
Thanks again, Mr. McClung! Keep up the good work and keep growing as an educator! :)

Dustin said...

I am a student at the University of South Alabama in Dr. Strange’s EDm 310 class. I like how you described your first year of teaching and what to do and what not to do to yourself. You will always need to make sure your students are learning what you are teaching I believe is more important then a perfect lesson plan. Being flexible is something that I learned in the Navy, so talking about it in teaching is great always want to be able to change up your plans without hitting a snag. Being reasonable is something some of my teachers never learned and sometimes had to high of expectations. Technology is something I still learned and will never stop learning about because it helps with all I will do one day. I am trying to always listen to my students because they are the real ones that will be learning from what I’m teaching. You can follow my twitter @barsch41 or on my blog at barschdustinedm310.blogspot.com.

Nicole Wilson said...

I am a student in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class at the University of South Alabama. Thank you for sharing your experience and providing pointers for future teachers like myself. Like you have explained, the pressures of performing for your superiors can effect the way in which students receive and understand the lessons. Since this has been brought to my attention, I will defiantly try to keep lessons student centered and avoid getting caught up in how others feel I am performing. I think the hardest thing for me will be giving up some control and allowing for change when it comes to the lesson plans. My full response can be found on my Blog http://wilsonnicoleedm310.blogspot.com/. I can also be reached on Twitter @NicoleWilson2

Jude said...

Mr. McClung,
I really like what you had to say in this blog. I will take in consideration all the things you said when I become a teacher. I believe I will come back and read this again when I do start off so it will refresh these thoughts. I am in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class and will be summarizing what you had to say. If you would like to read it, you can at http://sanfordjudeedm310.blogspot.com/ I also have a twitter account @JudeSanford

Matthew Poirier said...

Hello Mr. McClung! I am a student in Dr. Strange's EDM310 Class at the University of Alabama. Yes, to read your blog post was a required assignment by the class... but had I known of your post prior to the assignment, I would read it as well as others like it in my spare time! Your post was remarkable; it gives would-be-teachers insight on what a classroom setting is REALLY like. Thank you so much for mentioning that teaching needs to flexible; I've always been concerned about how my lectures may go in the future, but instead I should be concerend with the students' interactions. It's sort of like speech class: I would spend hours upon hours trying to formulate the perfect speech, but when I would reach that podium, I would sort of just have to wing it, for you simply can't plan something and expect it to happen accordingly. You've got to be flexible. Thank you so much, Mr. McClung! Feel free to contact me at mattpoirier531@gmail.com

Lauren Moran said...

Mr. McClung, I’ve read your post as a student in Dr. Strange’s EDM 310 class at the University of South Alabama and I would just like to say that I really appreciate your post. I appreciate the fact that you are a professional dedicated to becoming better and continuing to learn. Also, the fact that you want to share your lessons and experience with others is something I find admirable and an important aspect of a good teacher. I have put my reactions into a blog post of my own, so if you wish to read that you can visit my blog at http://moranlaurenedm310.blogspot.com/. It is under the title “Blog Assignment 9”.

Brittany Hamilton said...

Mr. McClung,
Thank you so much for this post. I am a students at the University of South Alabama and I am in EDM310. It is so nice to see someone post about their first year and somethings to avoid and to do. I have heard that your first year is the hardest but these tips can help it go by a little smoother. Everything that you have written about is something that as teachers and future teachers, we all could work on. I loved the part about communication in the schools, especially among teachers! We need to work together and help each other out.
I will be writing a response on my personal blog about your wonderful post. You can check it out here: My Blog
You can also twitter me at: Brittany217

Samantha Fleming said...

Hi Mr. McClung! I am a student in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class at the University of South Alabama. I LOVE this post! As a future educator myself, it definitely leaves a lot for me to keep in mind. My favorite part was about listening to your students because I can relate to it with experiences I encountered growing up. I also really like the section on flexibility. This is not something I have given much thought but is extremely important because of how OCD I am. That is definitely something I am going to have to work on. Thank you for sharing! I think all first year teachers should do this. To see more of my reaction to your post, feel free to check out my blog at http://flemingsamanthaedm310.blogspot.com or you may reach me on Twitter at @flemingsamantha.

Jacey-Blaire Chandler said...

Mr. McClung,
I knew right away I was going to enjoy your post when I saw the words "stay positive." I agree with everything you said, especially on how important it is to listen to your students.
I'm in Dr. Strange's Edm 310 class at the University of South Alabama. You can follow me on twitter @jblaire17 or visit my blog at http://chandlerjaceyblaireedm310.blogspot.com/
Thanks for sharing!
-Jacey-Blaire Chandler

Colby-Win Beasley said...

Mr. McClung,
I liked how you placed a special emphasis on listening to your students. After all, the entire reason for being a teacher is to help student's to learn and grow. You have to remember that each student is unique and that one lesson plan may work wonders for some students and not so well for others. It's kind of like having a garden. If you give all the plants, no matter what species, the same amount of water and sunlight then some of them will flourish while others wither to the ground. I think it's the same with students, you can't treat them all the same.

Joshua Ragsdale said...

MR. McClung, my name is Joshua Ragsdale. I am reading this post as a requirement for my EDM 310 class at the University of South Alabama. I enjoyed this post very much. I agree we as teachers should never stop learning. If we are not willing to keep learning as teachers, we are probably in the wrong profession. You can contact me at http://ragsdalejoshuaedm310.blogspot.com/ or on twitter @joshuarags

Olivia Bush said...

Hi, Mr. McClung! My name is Olivia Bush. I am a student at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. I am in the class EDM 310, which is a technology class for teachers. I have read your blog post as one of my assignments for this class. I have also posted my own blog reflecting my thoughts on yours. Please feel free to read it and follow my blog at http://busholiviaedm310.blogspot.com and I also have a Twitter account that you can follow if you want, it is @OliviaKBush.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience as a new Teacher. I really enjoyed it and I know I will take your advice with me in the classroom when I graduate. "Be Flexible", "Communicate", and "Never Stop Learning" are the three things that my son's teachers express to me are the most important things in their own teaching careers. I am so blessed to have them and now your personal blog to help guide me in these steps when I start teaching.
Thank you so much for sharing this. I am sure there are many teachers benefitting from your advice. I wish you the best in your teaching career and look forward to reading more of your blogs.

Olivia

Taylor Williams edm said...

Hi M. Clung,
My name is Taylor Williams. I am a student in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama. We had to read your blog as an assignment in our class. Your first year of teaching was something I needed to hear about. In my mind, I feel as if it is going to be absolutely incredible. But now I know to expect some good days as well as bad ones. I also understand that having that good relationship with co-workers is important and the one with your students. I know it will be hard to teach a student you know nothing about, so getting to know about their lives is a great suggestion. Thanks again for sharing.

Kenneth Nelson said...

Hey Mr. McClung, I am Mr. Nelson from Dr. Strange's EDM310 class. I think you're doing a great job reflecting on your work. I can always appreciate someone that continues the learning process. Just because we have been through college and know tons about life, does not mean we cannot continue to learn more from the children we teach. We must always allow ourselves room to improve; being open minded is essential. I think you are doing great throughout your first year and I have enjoyed reading your comments about it. I will be in that first year of teaching very soon and I will use your idea of "flexibility" as often as possible. If you'd like to get in contact with me, I am going to leave a link to my blog for that purpose.Mr. Nelson's Blog

Shaska Crabtree said...

Mr. McClung,
I am a student at the University of South Alabama enrolled in the Elementary Education department. I am currently a student in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class and was assigned to read this blog post, and I am happy I was.
I really enjoyed reading all of the advise that you gave in your article. I think all the topics you wrote about is something that future and current educators can use on a daily bases. I personally really liked the part of learning to be flexible. It is something that I am working on now, and will be an important quality to have once I get into the classroom.
Please feel free to read a summary of your blog post and my reactions to it on my blog page. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and time with us, and I hope you continue on learning and finding out new things about teaching.

Shaska Crabtree said...

Mr. McClung,
I am a student at the University of South Alabama enrolled in the Elementary Education department. I am currently a student in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class, and was assigned to read this blog post, and I am happy I was.
I really enjoyed reading all of the advise that you gave in your article. I think all the topics you wrote about is something that future and current educators can use on a daily bases. I personally really liked the part of learning to be flexible. It is something that I am working on now, and will be an important quality to have once I get into the classroom.
Please feel free to read a summary of your blog post and my reactions to it on my blog page. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and time with us, and I hope you continue on learning and finding out new things about teaching.

Jennifer said...

Hi Mr. McClung, I have read you post as part of my EDM310 class at the University of South Alabama. I really enjoyed reading this post. I really think they are very important things as a teacher. I plan to use this advice when i become a teacher. I am thankful that i had the opportunity to read this blog post. Thank you for sharing your thoughts from your first year of teaching. I believe this post will be very beneficial to many teachers and future teachers.

Abby Jordan said...

Hi there! I to am a student in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class at the Univeristy of South Alabama and have been assigned to read your blog post. Dr. Strange has introduced us to so many educators this year and I am glad you were one of them. It was nice to hear from someone who was still new at teaching. As a future teacher, I will hold on to your advice and by doing so will hopefully better myself and my students. I will be reflecting on your blog post through My Blog and on twitter @Abby_G_Jordan. Thanks again for giving everyone such great advice!

Jacob Webb said...

Mr. McClung,
My name is Jacob Webb. I read your post as an assignment for Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class. I think that this is a great assignment that he should continue to give every semester. I was very impressed by this post. As teacher, (and future teachers) these things should all be so obvious but they are all things we so often overlook. Thank you very much for the reminder as to what I should really be focusing on as I enter the classroom. You really encouraged me as I enter my own internship soon when you said that in your internship you were so worried about what your superiors would see...but now you realized that no lesson will ever be perfect. I will be doing a blog post on my thoughts to your post, it can be seen here, webbjacobedm310.blogspot.com.

Brandin Brosh said...

My name is Brandin Brosh and I am a student in EDM 310 with Dr. Strange. I really enjoyed your post. I think it could extremely beneficial to any first year teacher. I also think that teachers who aren't in their first year but still haven't figured it out could also make good use out of your blog. i will be writing a summary post of your blog. You can follow me at http://broshbrandinedm310.blogspot.com/

Kristan Steele said...

Mr. McClung, I am in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class at The University of South Alabama. Thank you for sharing what you learned during your first year of teaching. I am a bit nervous about my first year, but your post gives me more confidence! Thanks again. My blog is steelekristanedm310.blogspot.com and I am also on Twitter, @Kristan_Steele. Have a blessed day!

Sheena Nettles said...

Hello Mr. McClung! My name is Sheena Nettles. I am a student in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class. I really enjoyed reading your post. Your post contains so much useful information for future educators. I think that all future educators should read this post. As I read your post, I saw so many things that I need to do in order to be a successful teacher. Thank you so much for your you helpful information about teaching! I will take this information that you gave into consideration when I become a teacher. Feel free to post your comments on my blog: nettlessheenaedm310.blogspot.com or tweet me @sheena.nettles

Sincerely,
Sheena Nettles

Amanda Lloyd said...

Hello, Mr. McClung!

I'm joining the long list of bloggers assigned by Dr. Strange at the University of South Alabama. I too, appreciate your candid reflection and positive outlook. Your students are indeed fortunate. Thanks for sharing and inspiring!

Regards,

Amanda Lloyd

Kayla Nelson's EDM310 Class Blog said...

Mr. McClung, I enjoyed reading your essay because you wrote it from a real place and did an excellent job of covering how life truly is. I agree that too often teachers do lose the mindset that the lessons should be student-centered. Your points were very clear and great advice. I am a student in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class and I will be covering a summary of your post in my blog.

Kayla Nelson's EDM310 Class Blog said...

Mr. McClung, I am a student in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class at the University of South Alabama. I enjoyed reading your post because you were so real and I could tell it came from the heart. My reaction to your comment about teachers losing the student-centered lesson mindset was shock. I couldn't believe that I have never thought about it that way, and how many times that truly does happen. I loved your advice and thank you for your post. You can contact me at my class blog or on Twitter @KaylaNelson703

Trey Mohler said...

Hey Mr. McClung,
I'm a student in Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class at the University of South Alabama. Your advise is very inspirational and will help teachers in their career. Hopefully with your advice my first year will not be too bad.

http://mohlertreyedm310.blogspot.com/

Chase Davidson said...

Hello,
My name is Chase Davidson and I am a student in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class at the University of South Alabama, whom asked us to view your blog.
I enjoyed reading what you had to say about teaching. I am a musician and a lot of what you have to say about teaching also applies to performing music in front of a crowd. IF you would like to contact me you can check out my blog at http://davidsonchaseedm310.blogspot.com/. Again, thank you so much for your advice on teaching. I'm sure it will be just as effective in other peoples careers as it has been yours.

Rebecca Warnberg said...

Mr. McClung,
My name is Rebecca Warnberg. I am a student at the University of South Alabama in Dr. Strange's Edm 310 class. I am studying to become an elementary school teacher so it was great to hear about your experience in your first year of teaching. I think that you have made a lot of great points in your post. It is so important to be a patient teacher that is dedicated to showing their students that they care! I really enjoyed reading your post. If you would like to visit my blog here is the address: http://warnbergrebeccaedm310.blogspot.com/
Thanks,
Rebecca Warnberg

marleyfan601 said...

Mr. McClung,
I really enjoyed you reflections on your teaching experiences. I was assigned your post as a part of Dr. Strange's EDM 310 class. Please visit my blog of follow me on twitter @thebarrywall.

Mandy Davis said...

Mr. McClung,
I am Mandy Davis, a student at University of South Alabama in Dr. Strange's Edm310 class. I think that you are incredibly right in everything you said! I am working on my degree in elementary and special education right now, and I can already see how true many of these comments are. I currently tutor many elementary students around the city and one of the biggest issues I see is frustration in the students. Many feel dumb for not reaching their classrooms set goal and therefore lose the desire to learn. How sad... If all teachers had the same philosophy as you in having such a close connection with their students, and encouraging them then maybe this mindset would disappear.
Thank you so much for sharing your findings with us.

shirley Landrum said...

Hi Mr. McClung!
I read your post as a requirement for my EDM 310 class in Dr. Strange's class at the University of South Alabama. Your post gives me great insight as to what to do once I become a teacher. Your topics were interesting and describes many aspects teachers are faced with everyday in the classroom. I too am looking forward to having a magical first year of teaching. I would love to read more of your posts. My class blog address is landrumshirleyedm310blogspot.com and my twitter address is twitter@sdlandrum40.

Tracy said...

Hi Mr. McClung,
I am a student in Dr. Strange's EDM310 class at the University of South Alabama. After reading your post, I must say I agree to everything. If we as teachers (or future teachers) do not allow our students to make mistakes, we are not doing our job correctly. As well, if students are never allowed to make mistakes, they will never truly "learn" the material. Making mistakes is how we learn to "better" ourselves. It takes a special person to be a teacher, and I have high respect for teachers. Good luck on your teaching journey! You are welcome to visit my blog and leave a comment anytime you wish.
Tracy Hunt
EDM310
http://hunttracyedm310.blogspot.com/

LaDanika Johnson said...

Hello Mr. McClung, My name Dana Johnson and I am an EDM 310 student at the University of South Alabama in Dr. Strange's class. I required to read this post as one of my assignment for EMD 310. Thanks for sharing this post it help motivates students like me who is majoring in Education. I am on twitter @danabana87 and my blog is johnson.dana.edm310blogspot.com

Alexandra Maniaci said...

Hi,
My name is Alexandra Maniaci and I’m reading your blog as an assignment for Dr. Strange’s EDM 310 class at the University of South Alabama. I really liked what you had to say about the importance of teachers learning these lessons. I wish all teachers would learn this because it would make them so much better at what they do. I hope I can follow all this advice once I graduate so I can be the best teacher possible for my students. You can check out my blog at http://maniacialexandraedm310.blogspot.com and my twitter name is @alexmaniaci. Thank you for such an insightful post!

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