Blog Post #9

For this assignment I read two of Mr. Joe McClung's blog posts.

The first post I read was What I learned This Year 2012-2011. This particular year was a bunch of firsts for Mr. McClung. It was his first year teaching at the same school for more than a year, being head coach, and teaching a computer applications class. McClung talked a little about putting the students first instead of worrying about what others think of you and getting sidetracked from the students. He is a people pleaser and is always worried about pleasing the administration instead of his students. He also talked about not letting others ruin your excitement. McClung was always excited about the professional development sessions because he liked new ideas. He quickly found out that many others did not feel the same way. He said other teachers would sit in the back ad talk under their breath about not liking the new ideas and ignoring the whole session. Another point he hits on is not being afraid to be an outsider. McClung is never one to socialize with other teachers, instead he socializes with his students because they are what's most important. In his post, McClung also talks about not touching the keyboard. Which means not to do a students work for them. He says that when a student needs help, it can be easier for the teacher to just finish the work for them because it will turn out nicer. Though as teachers, we can not do this or else the students will not learn. The last thing he talks about in this post is about not allowing yourself to get comfortable. He pushes himself daily to move forward with his teaching. McClung says he does not want to get into a routine and become boring.

The next post of his I read was What I Learned This Year - Volume 4. In this blog post Mr. McClung reflects on his fourth year of teaching. He says he did not learn as much as he thought he did, though he shared two major points that stuck out to him.
The first was about not letting the approval of your peers affect you, something he also hit on in the previous post that I read. In the previous post he talked about how he never worried what others thought. Though in this post, he admits to letting the thoughts of his fellow co-workers bother him. He said it changed his mood completely and that it was not until the end of the year that he coped with it. McClung states that he has gotten to where he is in his career by following one rule. Are the kids having fun?
The next point he hits on in this post is about challenging yourself. He admits that this past year he has gotten comfortable and lazy because this was his third year in a row teaching the same subject at the same school. This was something he also talked about in the previous post that I read. In the previous post he talks about making sure that teachers do not get comfortable, however this year, he did. Luckily for him, he was offered to teach a new subject and a new grade level. McClung says that this opportunity coud not have come at a better time.

I really enjoyed this post just as I did with the other one that I read of his. I find it funny that the first post I read was him preaching about all of the things that we should not do as teachers such as letting your co-workers thoughts about you affect you, and not getting comfortable. Then in the last post I read, he admits to falling victim to both of those things. I think this is a great example that even teachers are not perfect and that we mess up from time to time. I'm glad that he realized his mistakes though, and is taking action to fix them. Mr. McClung's main interest is the students and making sure that they are enjoying his class. I really admire that about him because I feel that some teachers do not have the students in their best interest. I will strive to be like the teacher Mr. McClung is.