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Getting Off the Ground

Hello to you, my first readers. I’ve come to understand that Learning to teach is a life long process, or it should be. This blog will be a journal of my path through the course work and practice of teaching science and math. I enter into the profession at a time of crisis with nearly everyone concerned about the state of science education and calling for reform. I’ll post news items on the progress of the crisis, but I’m not a political animal, I’m more interested in the ‘how’. Methodologies, the uses of technology, internet resources and how they are used to accomplish the goal of educating High School students in the ways of Science.

My keywords, phrases actually, will be “Doing it all” for professional development ideas, and “Check it out!” for resources. “Check it out”, should be obvious, but “Doing it all” needs explaining. It’s my belief, and I’m not alone in that belief,  that teaching is as much an art as a skill. In order to come to a students mind, when asked about a good teacher, we must do it all. Teachers must keep up with technology, educational research, current events, subject matter, network with colleagues, and hone communication skills; they must be ready to seize a teaching moment, when it appears, keep lesson plans timely and be ready to use current events to motivate students; they must be part councilor, part parent, and act as a roll model for students. Teachers must learn to handle crowds of unruly children and act before the most critical audience in the world, a classroom of teenagers, 5 classes a day, 180 days a year. Good teachers have to do it all. No one will expect it of you, no one will try to force it on you, but teaching is a very difficult job to do well and to do it well, you must do it all.

I come to the task with a love of the subject, I took the time to take degrees in both Mathematics and Physics and added a minor in Computer Science. I’ve worked for several years as a tutor in the same subjects. Teaching is a career change for me. I came to New York in 2002 to marry and left a career as a contractual administrator providing logistical support to the flight team of RADARSAT I, a Canadian earth observation satellite. I believe my knowledge of science and my experience with people will help me to help my students to track down that elusive idea, science literacy. This blog is dedicated to all current and future teachers, I hope it helps someone, I hope it helps me!

© 2008 Learning Teaching.