Teagle Essay

After seeing how the teacher interacted with students, I realized the type of teacher I

aspire to be. I have seen my own teaching style and approach to children morph after my

experience student teaching. Unfortunately, I saw continuous negativity toward the fourth grade

students I observed. They rarely received the approval and respect that they deserved. I had seen

the firsthand effects of the teacher modeling negative behavior. The teachers attitude had a

direct effect on the way the student behaved and performed academically. As a result of my

coursework and working with the teacher, I realized how badly the students needed positivity

and reassurance. This experience has made an impact on my career goals and has helped me

determine my disposition as a teacher. Three learning outcomes Ive achieved from my

coursework and service learning hours include:

1. Compare and contrast professional practice of educators in diverse settings in the field.

2. Make informed judgments concerning ethical issues, professional responsibilities, and

issues related to student diversity.

3. Create a pre-professional portfolio that demonstrates his/her efforts to work toward the

New Jersey Professional Teaching Standards as a pre-service teacher.

In order to create a quality learning environment, the teachers instructing our students

must provide unconditional support and guidance. In the classroom I observed, this was not

always true. The fourth grade classroom I observed included students with learning disabilities

and special accommodations. The teacher seemed to lack the patience and sensitivity to work

with misbehaving or off task students. The teacher resorted to yelling and often allowed her

frustration to get in the way of her professionalism. The lack of reinforcement and positivity in
the classroom resulted in students often being off task and uninterested. During most activities

and lessons, the teacher would criticize and insult the students. Instead of cheering students on

and guiding them to success, the teacher tended to make students feel self conscious. According

to author and fourth grade teacher Mike Anderson, Teaching fourth graders is about creating a

safe and comfortable classroom climate so that students feel secure enough to relax and take

academic risks (Anderson, 2010, pg. 1). The teacher in the classroom I observed failed to make

students feel relaxed and comfortable to express their ideas. When I noticed that the teacher did

not complement or reinforce students, I made sure to consistently reinforce students hard work

and effort. I could see an immediate change in attitude from students after their work had been

recognized. Students must be set up for success through creating an effective learning

environment.

This negativity is not something that students, at such a fragile age, should not be

exposed to. According to Derrick Meador in his article Issues Schools Face that Negatively

Impacts Student Learning, teachers can minimize distraction by providing a structured learning

environment and engaging students in exciting, dynamic lessons that captivate students and keep

them from being bored (Meador, 2016, pg. 1). It is a teachers responsibility to foster learning

and to keep students motivated to learn. Teacher ineffectiveness is a topic that people should care

about because it is affecting our youth and their success. Personally, this is a problem I

experienced in school, and a problem many others have experienced. Ultimately, unsupportive

and negative teachers make students less motivated and make learning a negative experience. As

an informed individual and future educator, I believe it is important that we find the best teachers

possible to ensure a positive future for students. Also, it is important to take into serious account

the behaviors and attitudes of teachers, especially in early childhood. Teachers must be conscious
and aware of how their tone/attitude can affect young students. To prevent this issue, schools

could provide training or some way of informing teachers and staff on this issue and how greatly

it impacts the effectiveness of their teaching. This is an issue that must be addressed in schools

and taken seriously by teachers. Three actions I will partake in to reduce the problem of

ineffective teaching include:

1. Take another course to gain a new perspective on the problem.

2. Serve at a community-based organization working on the problem.

3. Complete a degree

After this experience, I will definitely strive to educate myself more about ineffective teaching

and recognizing strategies that are not efficient. Not only will I be taking more classes and

learning more about this issue, I plan to complete a degree in Early Childhood Education. I will

also continue to work my local YMCA in the Child Care Center. I will continue to spread

positivity to every student I meet.

References:

Anderson, M. (2010). What Every Fourth Grade Teacher Needs to Know About Setting Up and
Running a Classroom. Retrieved from Responsive Classroom,
https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/sites/default/files/et4ch1.pdf

` Meador, D. (2016, July 16). 9 Real Reasons that Schools Are Set Up to Fail. Retrieved
from https://www.thoughtco.com/issues-that-negatively-impacts-student-learning-
3194421
Date Completed: Spring 2017
Date Submitted: Spring 2017
Title of Artifact: Teagle Essay
Standard: Standard Eleven Ethical Practice The teacher acts in accordance with legal and
ethical responsibilities and uses integrity and fairness to promote the success of all students.

I am placing my artifact, Teagle Essay, under Standard Eleven- Ethical Practice, as evidence of
continued mastery towards modeling positive behavior and being effective as a teacher. In the
Teagle Essay, I discuss the issue in the school I observed, being negativity and bad attitudes in
the classroom. This had an obvious effect on the classroom as a learning environment, at times
becoming tense. I suggested that teachers, schools, and parents take the issue of ineffective
teachers seriously and how we can better our schools. Also, schools should provide training or
some type of assembly to inform parents, teachers, and staff on the issue. This is evidence of my
understanding how to promote positivity and fairness to students as well as teachers.