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What makes a good teacher?

After reading the question I know you're probably thinking to yourself that this is very open-ended and hard to answer. I agree with that as well. After much thinking I came to the conclusion that there are endless things that makes one a good teacher. There are so many different ways people can go about their teaching methods and concepts. I don't think that their is one right way to teach. Just like I don't think there is one thing that makes someone a good teacher. Reading chapters three and four in To Teach: the Journey, in Comics is what brought me to asking the question, what makes a good teacher? In these chapters we were introduced to a few different teachers, all with very different approaches to teaching. Although the characters introduced had significant differences in their teaching methods, they were all good teachers.
Here are some quotes from the book that will briefly explain a few of the different methods of teaching brought up in the book:

"In a straightforward way, this teacher had created a space for moral reflection and ethical action. Right away his classroom became a place where learning to live together was a high value" (Ayers 38).

"Malik's environment has its own big meanings: everyone is an author of his or her own text. We are each an expert on our own lives. Come in, share your story!" (Ayers 39). 

"For me, all teaching has to start with the personal - even something that some would construct as impersonal, like math - because teaching always involves a human being engaged with other human beings, and the interesting thing is what happens to that teacher, to those students, and what happens in the field between them" (Ayers 58"). 

Each of these methods are very different from one another. That is why when asking yourself what makes a good teacher there is no one answer. There are thousands of answers to that question.

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On Saturday, January 25th, I observed my little brothers basketball game with my mom.

Observation - Everyone is wearing boots                                          
Interpretation - It is snowy/cold outside

Observation - The kids are running up and down the court                    
Interpretation - The game has started

Observation - The parents behind us are cheering very loud                    
Interpretation - Their son is playing well

Observation - The coach on the opposing team throws his clipboard                      
Interpretation - He is frustrated with the way his team is playing

Observation - The girl next to me is playing on her phone                  
Interpretation - She is probably really bored and does not want to be there
                                                                                   
Observation - The buzzer goes off for half time and most people get up      
Interpretation - They are probably going to the bathroom or concession stand

Observation - My brothers face is very red and he is out of  breath
Interpretation - He is tired from playing the whole game and needs a break

Reflection

 After talking with my mom about the things she noticed and the things I noticed I realized that people view the simplest things in the most different ways. When I was observing I focused mostly on descriptive details. Such as someone is wearing boots because it is cold outside. Whereas my mom focused more on facial expressions and emotional details. I think this would be the case just about every time when you have a younger and an older person observing the same thing. Older people, like my mom, are more likely to look beyond physical details and into the emotional ones. They do this because they have been here a lot longer than us, they have probably experienced and understand a lot of these situations better than the younger person observing with them. When I was observing I just picked out a few random things and wrote them down. I wasn't as into it as my mom was. You can look at things in a million different ways and come up with a million different interpretations, and I'm not even being dramatic. We take the littlest things for granted. The slightest movements, facial expressions, and physical appearances could all be interpreted in a big way in someones life, it just all depends on how you look at it. 

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WebPost 1: CLASS SURVEY
Personal Information:
1. I prefer to be called Ally.
2. My hometown is Madison, Ohio.
3. I want to teach anywhere from kindergarten to third grade. Any subject is fine, I just want to educate younger children.
4. I love to read, mostly nonfiction books. I played volleyball for most of my life. The reason I am so interested in education is because I have a younger brother with Down syndrome and I grew up volunteering in his classes, activities, and camps specifically for special ed kids.

Learning Style and more:
5. For me to feel comfortable taking intellectual and creative risks in the classroom I must have a good relationship with the teacher. I have to be comfortable around my professor to be able to step out of my comfort zone when it comes to writing assignments. As long as I feel like I have a good connection with my professor I will be able to do my best work more easily.
6. In all honesty I consider myself a pretty average student. I procrastinate probably a lot more than others which does effect my school work at times. This semester I am trying very hard to be a better student and get as much out of each class as I possibly can. Once I become comfortable enough in the classroom I will become very active and oral. I don't skip class and my assignments are on time (usually). I am now becoming more aware of my learning styles and I am starting to use them to my advantage more when it comes to studying and understanding concepts. The first thing I do when I don't understand something is ask questions until I do understand it.

Education Past and Present:
7. I have had many experiences as a student. I would have to say that my favorite experience as a student would be my senior year in high school in my honors anatomy class. I liked it so much because it was hands on and it was a lot of group work.
8. My biggest issue in the education field right now is the concept of grading. I think that kids, specifically teenagers, are more worried about their grades than what they are actually learning. I know this is a big issue with a lot of researchers and professors and I hope to see it brought up more as an issue in the future.

About Dr. Shutkin
1. What were you like in high school and college?
2. How early in your life did you decide that you wanted to be an educator?