Teacher Inquiry by Clarke Anthony;Erickson Gaalen;

Author:Clarke, Anthony;Erickson, Gaalen; [ANTHONY CLARKE]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Group
Published: 2011-08-01T00:00:00+00:00

Christine Waechter

My inner voice

In each of us there is an inner voice, the one that questions us and reaffirms our practices. Using this inner voice for professional development is a powerful tool for seeing one’s self and practices. Reflections on the inner voice are stepping stones into the future.

I found this inner voice many years ago when I was a child. Like many young children, I was given a diary. In my diaries I wrote about secrets, wishes, and daily happenings. I remember reading my diaries later and would laugh over what I once thought was important. As I grew, I kept writing, in the borders of my class notes and in my letters to a special person in my life. These writings captured my thoughts and questions about what I was doing and why I was making choices. I have since packed away these important documents until my golden years, but a few years ago I did take the time to re-read them again. I was impressed that I did reach the goals I set in those long-ago years and have since built new goals.

I began my teaching career in 1968. As a new teacher I set out to change the world. I had learned through my experiences as a student teacher that I was ready for anything. I quickly learned that, although my professional training had been excellent, it didn’t prepare me for all that I experienced in my classrooms. The pages of my first lesson plan books soon became places for me to write the questions and reflections of the day.

In the nine years I spent in my first district, I taught third, fourth, seventh and eighth grade English, science and art, as well as art for all of grades, kindergarten through eight. Each of these changes came with a great deal of soul searching over what I was doing and what directions I wanted to take next. I searched for ways to improve as a professional. As I look back over those years, I wish I was a more reflective writer, so that I could read what I thought about the decisions I made.

When I started my family, the reflections I had made about learners helped me think about my work as a full-time mother. The years I spent at home didn’t end my professional development, as I read, thought and wrote about what I wanted to do in the future. I have always felt that my two children provided me with the greatest understanding of my role as an educator.

After six years of my work as a parent at home, our family moved to central Wisconsin. This change made a major impact on my life. I soon realized that I needed to return to the profession I loved: I needed to return to teaching in a classroom. I was hired for part-time teaching assignment at a Lutheran school. As soon as I began this new position, I reflected on where I was as an educator and where I wanted to go.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.