Module 1

Are there good teachers? Are there bad teachers?  Do teachers make a difference? These are some of the questions that I feel we're being addressed in chapter one of the Woolfolk text. These are major questions that an educator should ask themselves when entering or reevaluating their role in the class.

Teachers have a major responsibility inside the classroom, However, the impact of the students lives outside of the classroom affects them in more ways than one. I strongly agree that the teachers-students relationship is a huge component to the success of a child academically (Pg 7). Positive teacher relationships predicted positive student engagement at every grade level.  Not only do teachers need to foster relationships with students, but they must also be able to adapt to new strategies as well as old components of teaching. Since technology is forever changing our world it is important for teachers to stay current and have the ability to go with the change (pg9).

Just as the world changes students develop (change) as well,  physical development, social development, personal development, and cognitive development are all generally use to describe the human's changes (pg32).  Chapter 2 of the text explains that all of these developments take place in every person but in its own timing. We have to take our time as the educator with allowing students to develop at their rate, which may not be as fast or maybe faster than others. It is no myth that teaching changes the structure of the brain. " But knowing that learning affects the brain does not tell us how to teach, all learning affects the brain" (pg40).

According to Piaget, our cognitive development is to learn from others (pg45).  So not only are students forever changing, but they are learning from their peers and their families.  Parents play an important role in the lives of their children, what they say to their children sets the tone. You can tell who has allowed their children to run their house, no rules, no routines in place, disrespect, etc. Most of those children that come to school and display that same behavior in the classroom. Which for the most part, this has been taught for generation.

Since a lot of students are carrying all of these emotions with them, educators have to find a way to reach pass the emotional drains to help their students succeed.  Chapter 3 talked about a lot of the negative views. Children encounter so many different changes in their family life. Single families, divorce, abuse, are just a few.  Many of them struggled to find their true identity, and they are battling depression. So imagine if they are having a hard time at home, and then their peers are relating to them. The teacher has to be able to understand so much, changes in a students behavior may be the result of a home problem (pg85). Teachers have a major role in getting to know their students, helping building their self-esteem, and even building a relationship with the parents can help with the student's success.

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