Blog Post # 9

Joe McClung's blog, At the Teacher's Desk, is a great blog full of many ideas for previous and future educators.

The first blog post I read, What I've Learned This Year 09, Mr. McClung shares his experience of what all he learned from his first year of teaching. At the top of this specific blog, there is an image of a message from Mr. McClung which reads, "An important decision I made this year is to stay positive." I think that's absolutely great and I am a believer in writing yourself simple messages of encouragement. I like the way Mr. McClung formatted his blog and the fact that he titled each topic which he reflected on. Every topic that Mr. McClung reflected on gave great insight but the two that caught my attention the most are: Be Flexible and Communicate. In Be Flexible, he talks about the perfect lesson and how we as instructors and future instructors strive to plan "perfect" lessons. Though, he says, "NO LESSON IS EVER PERFECT. THE LESSON YOU TEACH AND THE ONE YOU PLAN ARE ALWAYS INDIFFERENT." I agree. In Communicate, he starts by saying, "Communication is the best medicine," I couldn't agree more and I believe that applies for any situation in general. He later says, "Communicating is the best way to resolve any issue in the workplace," I think he's exactly right! With the topics he has provided he's given great tips on how to stay positive in situations and to always remember to do the best you can and make the best out of situations while being an educator.

The second blog post I read, What I Learned This Year 09-10, Mr. McClung also has titled each topic he reflected on. He starts this post with writing about being able to adapt, as teachers we will have to adapt the school we will teach at, the grades we will teach, the subjects we will teach, and so on. He then goes on to talk about many other topics, but one that really stood out for me is: Don't Be A Control Freak. He says that, "it is okay to be in control, but some people can go over board with the concept of control," I agree with that point. I can relate to this topic because I can honestly say that to an extent I am a control freak about things. I am very organized and want some things a certain way or I will find myself unsatisfied. Teachers have lots of responsibility and can tend to take complete control in the classroom but like Mr. McClung says, "While control is a good thing, there is such thing as too much of it. I feel as teachers we need to teach our students how to perform tasks in the classroom rather than depend on us to do it for them. This requires them to be responsible and take ownership for the classroom experience." I agree 100% with this.
I really enjoyed reading these blogs by Mr. Joe McClung, because he explained his experiences in an interesting way and gave great tips. I could see myself creating a blog once I start teaching to keep people updated on my experience and the things that may occur in my classroom. Thanks Joe and great idea!! :)