GCC Thoughts

Met with an undergraduate student from a Texas college about gender roles in education.  She had some interesting questions that, in some cases, made me think about my role as a teacher and how my gender effects it.  We were accompanied by a female teacher which also added interest and perspective for me.  At the end, she claimed to have gotten more than enough information from us, and I hope she did.

For me, the experience was interesting.  First, I had to stop and think about things that after fifteen years I probably just take for granted.  For example, do I think my gender makes a difference to the students, and does their gender matter in how I treat them.  I think I am comfortable with how I treat gender in my class.  I have always been more comfortable chatting with females mainly I think because they will, where guys tend to be more direct and less interested in details.  (Oddly my wife is just the opposite).  I think I am even keeled with time spent with each sex but do notice that the girls tend to ask more questions which makes me approach the guys to see how they are doing.  Looking at that, I think it's a good thing , and something I also just do and don't think about.  I also know that I spend more time with students that struggle with the material, not so much to help with class as maybe to just try to make them more comfortable and less threatened by the subject.

I hope in the end, my class is a very nonthreatening place to be and having a brother who lives in the district, I have gotten feed back about how much students enjoyed my class and liked me.  I guess that's a large part of it (no, they don't know he's my brother - different last name)

Having a second person answering questions also gave me time to reflect on my answers immediately.   Some I wanted to add explanation to, but time slipped away from us.  It was interesting to hear her perspective about certain issues - being looked at differently by parents, maybe not taken as seriously, being flirted with etc.  Some things, I never considered because they don't effect me and some I only considered when I was younger and less experienced.

As a result, I think I gained a lot from this experience and, if I'm smart, will take away with me and use.

Social networking in education??

If social networking is to be successfully used in the classroom it must first be seen as the logical extension to student-teacher interaction.  By this, I mean that we must overcome the fear of having teachers and students interact outside of the classroom.

The benefits of social networking and sites that allow interaction are bountiful.  In many instances they are already being seen. School district and class websites allow parents and students to get immediate answers about students progress.  Absent students can keep up with course work and not fall behind.

In addition, social networking can allow or collaboration between students from schools around the globe to get amazing perspectives on problem solving as well as see language usage and other perspectives.  Indeed, as collaboration efforts go, there can be no better tool.

As the economy and companies go more and more global, it behooves schools to use social networking sites as tools to prepare students for this new world and the work environment they will find themselves in the future

A Short Introduction

After fifteen years in the classroom, I am embarking on an exploration of self-reflection which I hope will lead to an improved educational environment for my students.  It is here that I will reflect and look for suggestions from other professionals.

Please add your professional comments as you feel inspired.