Teacher Research Reflection
Teacher Research Reflection
This research is helping me see the importance of keeping up with at least some of the research that is coming out. I have a few biases against reading research in general. First off, I have read a lot of journals in school for many different research projects in the past. It is not really something I enjoy. However, what I do learn from these projects can be quite interesting and thusly, I do not really regret the experience. Reading has been a tedious thing for me since my emergent reading days and I do not consider myself a quick reader by any means. This makes keeping up with research a little more arduous a task in my mind. Secondly, since I am still in the process of acquiring my teaching degree, I feel like there is much I am up to date on. There is still so much research on worthwhile strategies and tactics to simply say that my, despite it being of quality, college experience encompasses all there is to know when it comes to teaching.
Analyzing what factors come into play when furthering the instruction of students outside of the classroom has brought a few things to my attention. Previously I used to believe that the parents and teachers were the source of influence for at-home instruction. However, the community, the school, and other students can be additional supports for learning outside of school. In a way, each student is like the roof of a house. The student depends on the supports around them to keep them lifted, to continue learning and being successful inside and outside of the classroom. If that child feels they lack the required support, then everything will feel like it is crashing down around them, possibly causing a cease of learning until the supports come back to lift them up. I, as a future teacher, hold a lot of power in how this gets handled, not only in the way I communicate with the student, but how I communicate with every other support of the student. If I am a negative impact to any one of those factors, then I may as well be the one knocking down the walls to the house, keeping the student from learning when I am supposed to be one to help. I am not just responsible for the student’s well-being, but also in the well-being of all those connected to the student, or at least what I have the power to influence directly.
This research has caused me to reflect on past experiences through a different lens, as well as to look into my future through a different perspective. I want to take more care in my actions. I want to take more care in the words I choose and how I say them. It is not always enough to simply be encouraging. I need to make sure that the impact of my communication matches the intent I originally had in mind. If it does not, then I need to be willing to correct the situation and convey the proper message. I owe it to my students and everyone around them to try my best, providing the opportunity for a better future of every one of my students.
