Blog Post 9

Mr. McClung’s Blog Post 09-10

Ok Mr. Joe McClung is one funny man. I looked at how long his blog post was and I just wanted to cry! I thought geeze I didn’t realize that a person could learn all of this in one year! As I started to read his Blog Post from 09-10 I got really intrigued, and I just could not stop reading. It’s like my eyes were glued to the screen while I was reading his words.
Mr. McClung is a very interesting teacher and even though he was fairly new at the teaching thing when this blog was posted it seems like he has it put together. He explains that at the beginning of the year he started out with a bunch of challenges. Challenges such as; going from middle school to junior high, from science to social studies, and even different schools. He didn’t know exactly what he was doing and he became very dull.

A teacher I would assume we all would dislike. He woke up one morning and decided that he hated the way he was teaching, and changed what he was doing.
As the school year went on Mr. McClung noticed that his students were not doing what he wanted them to. Not in the sense that they weren’t doing their work, but they were not thinking for themselves. A big NO NO for Mr. McClung! He decided to change up in a way that students would feel that there were no right or wrong answers.
Mr. McClung discusses that the most important thing that a new teach could do is get a school mom.

These are “veterans” of the school. They will assist and stand up for you when you need them.
Passion for your job is very important as Mr. McClung stated. Having the passion for your job no matter what topic or area you are teaching will better your year. Also let the students have responsibilities this will be able to help your alleviate some of your stress and help better your time management.

Time management making sure that you have enough time scheduled to go into depth with your subjects is another biggie that he talked about.
Lastly Mr. McClung talked about making sure your work is focused on your students and not on anything else. When your attention is focused else where your teaching can start to slip. Making not only the other grown-ups suffer, but making your students suffer as well.
Believe it or not this is a summary of Mr. McClung's blog post. It is very long, but very interesting. I learned a lot by just reading this blog post! Mr. McClung made very interesting points! No matter what subject you are teaching you should always make it interesting. How are the students suppose to learn anything or find anything interesting if you don’t find it interesting.
Making them think for themselves! My sister to this day (she is 14) still looks for answer from me.

Even though the majority of the time I have no idea what she is talking about. The students want to make sure that they have the right answer, but it comes down to there is not always a right or wrong answer.
I started subbing this month, and it has been… eh… not the easiest job in the world! Mr. McClung is absolutely correct you must find a school mom. They will be there for you, show you the ropes, and be able to listen when you need them to. I had so many teachers come into my rooms amazed that I was keeping the students quiet and doing their work. They told me if I ever needed anything that they had my back, and that meant a lot to me! I love being able to say I DO NOT HAVE TO DO THAT!

Giving students responsibilities makes them feel important and special. I actually asked a student to pass out papers, or be the line leader. I instantly had a reaction everyone wanted to do it, and they took it pretty seriously.
The students are the most important thing. This is why were are becoming teachers! Not to start up fights or meaningless drama. Our students need our help to learn and stay focused to better their lives. We will always keep progressing we just need to be progressing in the right areas.

Mr. McClung’s Latest Post

In Mr. McClung’s latest post from 11-12 he discusses many things. He explains that this year he started worrying more about his peer’s opinions.

Something that he has never done before. Something that he has never wanted to do. It took him a while to get out of his “funk” and get back to his regular teaching. This is because if you feel like you are doing well you will not do well.
He also talks about challenging yourself as a teacher. If a teacher were to teach the same thing year in and year out they start to become lazy and boring. If a teacher starts to challenge himself/herself they will than become exciting and vibrant. It is like colors there is more then just black and white.
I think he is right. Worrying about others instead of doing what you know has worked isn’t the right way to go. You are not there to teach your peers you are there for the students.

Making challenges will always get someone to better himself/herself no matter what job they are in. I really did enjoy his blogs.