Oct. 1

It was oddly surprising to me to hear on of our professors say "you wont be able to teach the entire core". I guess that was something that I should have realized before, but it had never occurred to me. Chapter five solidified and clarified the statement made by my professor. There is no way to teach the entire core, but it is essential to teach what the students need to know. Looking at the core and understanding the amount of standardized testing that my students will be subjected to makes me a little stressed. I sometimes fear that I will be so focused on filling my students with all this information that others tell me they need to know that I will loose sight of their learning. I will become some one who "teaches" a concept, not someone who helps my student "learn" a concept. I am empowered to realize that as a teacher I have the power (whithin reason) to teach what I feel my students need to know in a way that is meaningful to them. Shoving my students full of information will benefit them nothing and will waste their time.

I really enjoyed reading the second chapter and reviewing some of the basic principles of differentiation. I love hearing about teachers who make this style of teaching apart of their method and make it work! I especially liked reading about the teacher who incorporated a community building sharing activity into a science lesson. Building a community in your classroom is so fundamental, but it can become overlooked. I think it would be a great idea to incorporate that community building across the curriculum. As teachers we need to realize that we are not just teaching a bunch of kids all at the same level, but that we are teaching a group of individuals who are all on different levels. We need to accommodate and create the best learning environment for all students. This is what differentiation is all about. That does not mean allowing not insisting on progression. It was good to remember that differentiation not only means getting to know your students needs, but that it is also requiring students to push themselves to new levels.