Learning from my students

One thing that will be key for me when I become a teacher, will be learning from my students just as they will be learning from me. I think in many cases, teachers become stubborn when a student may know something a little more than a teacher does. I think some teachers might be trying to hard to save face, and feel if a student ever corrects them that the students might lose respect for the teacher and doubt their knowledge. To me, this is the exact opposite of how a teacher should feel.

Teachers should encourage students to think critically on their own. As a student, there was very few things that could give me a better feeling than thinking I was almost on the same level as the teacher. In fact, I think teachers should give students a lot more freedom on how the class is run. Obviously a teacher would have to set some guidelines, but allowing students to be a part of the teaching process can only generate more excitement from students. There was nothing more boring to me as a student then when a teacher would lecture the entire class and never let the students get involved.

Getting the class involved online

Getting the class involved online is very important for every single teacher. I will be a physical education teacher, and it seems like that would be the last class that you would need to emphasise going online. Many physical education teachers fall into the same routine of giving their students a basketball and letting them just shoot hoops for an hour and then call it a day. There is a lot more to sports and physical education than just letting students play random sports.

Physical education students can use the internet for many valuable tools. There are countless websites on proper techniques for an athlete in every sport that students could look at to improve. There are also numerous message boards and blogs about any sport that students can participate in to get a better understand of whichever sport that interests them. Physical Eudcation teachers should take great pride in their class. Students should be learning and interacting in every class, including PE.

Discipline

Discipline is something no teacher ever wants to have to go through, but as a future high school teacher, I know that it will play a big role in my teaching. I am of the mind that the overall behavior of the class is a reflection on the teacher, not the students. The reason I say that is the behavior of any class I was ever in as a student was always determined by the teacher. I would have one classmate who would be a great student in one class. They would be well behaved and interacting with the class discussion. In a different class, that same student would be the exact opposite. They would be disruptive and never be involved with the lesson. It all depended on the teacher and how they handled discipline.

I think a teacher should find a good balance in the way they discipline students. They should definitely not let their students walk all over them, but at the same time I think a teacher that is too strict makes for a hard time for students to get meaningful learning in because the students are more worried about behaving right than actually learning. I also will be very big on handling my discipline on my own and not sending students to the principal. To me, this can give students a sign that you are not in control of the class, which can cause students to walk all over you.

Working together with my co-teachers.

Having a good working relationship with other teachers is very important. In Physical Education, there are usually two teachers for each period, a male teacher for the male students, and a female teacher for the female students. It would be wise to be on the same page with my co-teacher because many times the two classes will have to split time with the equipment that the school provides. Most schools only have one gym, and one field that is provided for the students. Teachers should compromise when each other can use one so that the other class will be prepared to find an alternative activity.

Creating a multicultural curriculum.

Creating a multieducational curriculum is something every teacher is told to emphasise in their teaching, but it could seem physical education would not need one as much as other classes. That is not the case. Physical Education teachers may have to look close, but there are ways to make their curriculum more multicultural.

For example, soccer is the national sport in pretty much every country other than the United States and Canada. If a teacher were to have a student from Mexico, or Europe than it would be wise for teachers to include soccer as one of the sports they teach their students.

Phyiscal Education teachers could also teach their students the history of their sports, and how people of color helped shape the way sports are played today. There are several ways a teacher could make their curriculum multicultural.

Creating a solid educational experience for the students

The main goal for every teacher is to have a positive impact on their students that they can carry with them for the rest of their lives, even Physical Education teachers. P.E. teachers can teach great work ethic and a competitive spirit that they can use for everything they go through in life. They can also teach them how to win and lose with class that would also benefit them.

Physical Education teachers could also give their students a good understanding of the history of sports and how it has shaped the lives of our country and other countries. Every teacher can use their particular subject to teach their students not only in the area of their teaching, but also many other aspects in life.