Analysis
Teaching Plan
As for the overall teaching plan that the author of the report will engage in, it shall include a healthy amount of participation, engagement and involvement. Allowing students to blend into the background and otherwise not participate, for whatever reason, is something that cannot be allowed for. Whether it be more dominant and eager students monopolizing the time of the teacher, certain students being shy or unsure or the seating arrangement of the class, it must be a priority of the author or whomever the teacher happens to be that all students are engaged and on task. It is true that not all students need a direct level of engagement and participation. However, it surely does not hurt them either and such a process can ensure that no student is allowed to fall behind or otherwise not be part of the learning process. There are ancillary yet important benefits to using this comprehensive and full-fledged approach including better socialization, reduction of shyness and a higher overall level of learning and development. Beyond the above, there will also be a fettering out and halt to any sort of bullying or intimidating behavior. For example, if one student mocks or casts aspersions against another student because they are a “geek” or because they give the wrong answer, that sort of behavior will immediately be called out in a firm yet diplomatic manner. If it persists, the student will be taken aside and discipline and/or parental involvement as necessary is on the table. The idea behind this is to foster and encourage good behaviors and patterns and to shut down students who act in an anti-social and cruel manner. Shutting down negative behaviors and increasing positive ones including socialization through groups and continued participation will only help the students in the long run.
Epidemiological Rationale
As far as an epidemiological rationale and response to the methodology and topic mentioned above, the main facet and part of that overall branch of medicine and subject matter would be the control of social anxiety, learning prowess and mental health. As noted before, children (or even adult learners) that engage in behaviors and patterns that are bullying, incendiary and punitive in nature cannot be allowed to act in that manner unabated for any reason. First, it can and does bring harm to the person or persons that are subject to that ridicule. Beyond the ridicule itself and how harsh it can be, having it happen in front of their peers and in spite of a teacher being present can make it even worse as the student may feel alone and unprotected. Of course, that should never happen in a school setting, let alone when a teacher or other member of the school faculty is right there.
Evaluation of Teaching Experience
As far as the teaching process itself and what has been learned from the same, the author of this report and response would say a few things. First, there is obviously a steep learning curve upon starting teaching as a profession. Regardless of how much preparation and planning goes into place before the first day of teaching, it is probably true that nothing truly and fully prepares a person to be a teacher on that first day when they have to hit or miss on their own. Sure, there are surely people that take to the professional fairly easily and completely. Even so, there are always things that one cannot learn from others no matter how much is or is not observed and it is surely much easier to second-guess and question the actions, behaviors or inactions of someone else when the person doing the critiquing was not actually within and part of the situation.
Community/Parental Response to Teaching
When it comes to the community response to teaching, there are a few common avenues that the author of this report could take. However, the path that will instead be chosen is a little less traveled yet it is becoming increasingly obvious. One thing that has become abundantly clear to the author of this report, and this is just from the news and other media sources out there, is that the expectations and critique of parents and other people when it comes to teachers has got to be withering and cruel. For example, teachers in the state of Kansas have to be the butt of so many bad jokes and mockery given the ostensible attitudes and pathways the state and its leaders have taken when it comes to the teaching (or not teaching) of certain things in school such as creationism and other subjects that are infused (or seen as contrary) to religion and the like. Similarly, there have bene rather flawed and incomplete laws like No Child Left Behind and how teachers are on the receiving end of vitriol and invective that would be better directed at the parties that reduce or choke funding to the schools and/or to the parents that are not doing the proper job of reinforcing what is being taught and put in place at the school itself. Indeed, the author of this report has heard more than one story of parents who escalate matters to the principal or other school personnel without so much as saying word one to the teacher before going to those lengths and/or ascribing blame to teachers for things that are not really within the control of the teacher, at least completely, such as scores on homework and the child falling asleep in class.
Even with all of those negative, there is a huge amount of good will and partnership that is seen from other parents who know that there must be a partnership and dialog between the schools and the parents of the children so that the student performs at the level that they are capable of achieving rather than falling behind due to inattentiveness, behavioral issues and other such things.
Strengths & Weaknesses
The first item that the author of this report would mention when it comes to teaching is both a strength and a weakness. The author would compare teaching to psychology or psychiatry in that it can be hard (while also typically being advantageous or sometimes essential) for a teacher to disconnect and displace one’s self when it comes to any sort of emotional caring or empathy for the plight or situation of the students, their parents and the community (Career Igniter, 2017). For example, if a child has an autism spectrum disorder and it is inhibiting their learning, it can be soul-crushing because the author of this report knows that the student is experiencing mental distress and issues not of the child’s own making yet they are probably going to end up struggling quite a bit until (or unless) they learn to cope and deal with the mental and other challenges that face them. Similarly, a child that is growing up in an impoverished environment, for whatever reason, is not going to encounter the same resources, support and development chances that are middle class or affluent student is going to encounter (Parrett, 2016). Of course, so much of that is entirely out of the author’s control but yet it can be rather distressing to witness. The author of this report considers this a strength in that the author feels that emotions, sympathy and empathy are a good thing to have as it makes you truly alive and emotionally intelligent to know that this all exists. It is a weakness in that it can sometimes be depressing to go through witnessing the bad parts of people’s lives and their daily struggle (Grant, 2014).
When it comes to other strengths and weaknesses, the author feels that the strengths would include being a good communicator, being open to constructive criticism and truly caring about the outcomes, educational and otherwise, of the students that are encountered and taught. As for weaknesses, the author is constantly worried that a parent or administrator is going to feel the author is doing a poor job and the author is a bit of a perfectionist, even when it comes to things that the author cannot fully control, if at all.
Conclusion
The world of teaching can indeed a rather massive maelstrom but it is also very rewarding and encouraging to be a part of, depending on the day and the political or social climate. The people of our society are in many ways acting and behaving in rather distressed ways due to what they feel and see every day. This cannot be prevented but it can be managed to at least some degree.
References
Career Igniter. (2017). How Do Counselors Handle The Emotional Stress Of Their Job? - Career Igniter. Careerigniter.com. Retrieved 16 January 2017, from http://www.careerigniter.com/questions/how-do-counselors-handle-the-emotional-stress-of-their-job/
Grant, A. (2014). The Dark Side of Emotional Intelligence. The Atlantic. Retrieved 16 January 2017, from http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/01/the-dark-side-of-emotional-intelligence/282720/
Parrett, W. (2016). How Does Poverty Influence Learning?. Edutopia. Retrieved 16 January 2017, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/how-does-poverty-influence-learning-william-parrett-kathleen-budge
