A New Beginning

            Miss Honey, the iconic teacher from “Matilda”, a novel written by Ronald Dahl, which was later turned into a movie, directed by Danny DeVito. I read the novel and watched the movie as a young girl, around the same age as the character “Matilda,” who was an elementary aged girl who was severely mistreated by her parents and principal, Miss Trunchbull. Miss Honey, however, was Matilda’s patient, loving, and kind teacher. She never failed to be adored by every student in her classroom. She was seemingly a light in a dark place, while running an organized, well-managed classroom, where all students felt safe and loved, when they otherwise couldn’t possibly feel this way. Ever since I was a child, like Matilda, I wanted to be like Miss Honey. I wanted to be a teacher who could help students, no matter the circumstances. Michigan State University, through my Bachelor’s and Master’s programs, have given me the tools to be a bit more like Miss Honey.

            Michigan State University’s Master of Arts in Education (MAED) program in particular has helped me gain many skills to help my student’s be the best learners and the best people they can possibly be. A new teacher in 2019, I was eager to get started writing lessons, scared but confident that I could help change lives just like Miss Honey did, and just like I dreamed I could do as a child. However, much of my thoughts about education have changed since I received my Bachelor’s degree and found my first teaching job, and much of that change is attributed to my time as a student in MSU’s MAED program. MSU has guided me into reflecting who I want to be as a teacher, and how I want my classroom to function on a day to day basis. It has also helped me realize how I want every student of mine to feel when they arrive in my classroom each morning. I want them to feel similar to how Matilda must have felt entering Miss Honey’s room: safe, loved, comfortable, and willing to take risks in their education. 

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Instruction, Assessment, and Reflection 

            I know now that teaching, and education in general, is much more than throwing a lesson plan together, loving your students, and having a kind face. MSU’s MAED program has taught me that there is so much more to education. Overall, I learned how to instruct students in a multitude of ways, including whole group, small group, and individual techniques. I have learned to differentiate instruction in order to tailor to the needs of my students, who learn in a variety of ways. Incorporating visual, kinesthetic, and verbal learning techniques is a daily practice in my classroom. Assessing students in a multitude of ways and observing what they have learned is imperative in understanding them. Assessment should not be used only to put a grade on a report card. It should be used to help teachers target student learning goals, and attack student’s areas of growth, while supporting their areas of proficiency. Finally, I have learned that reflecting on my teaching practice is one of the most important areas of my job. I am a lifelong learner, and in order to grow further, I must also determine my own areas of growth while supporting my areas of proficiency. All of my courses throughout my MAED program have supported my learning in the areas of instruction, assessment, reflection, and beyond. However, there were three courses in my time as a MAED student that impacted me the most, and truly changed me as a teacher:

• Teacher Education (TE) 804: Reflection and Inquiry in Teaching Practice II

• Counseling, Educational Philosophy, and Special Education (CEP) 841: Classroom & Behavior Management in the Inclusive Classroom

• Teacher Education (TE) 842: Elementary Reading Assessment and Instruction

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Flexibility, Exploration, and Planning

            The first course that impacted me the most as a teacher was Teacher Education (TE) 804: Reflection and Inquiry in Teaching Practice II, taught by Martha Beitner-Miller. I took this class during the spring of 2020, where classes abruptly came to a halt during the COVID-19 pandemic. I had just graduated with my Bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University, and was in the middle of my student teaching year in Southfield Public Schools. This course largely focused on teaching science in our student teaching placements. I learned how to write extensive lesson plans that allow students to explore phenomena. I learned to ask exploratory questions, and only guide my students when necessary. Guiding students to reach their learning targets requires asking open ended questions and providing manipulatives and other materials for students to explore on their own. However, this was one of many classes through the MAED program that taught me these techniques. This class was truly special because of the guidance, patience, and support that my professors and peers provided during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Continued communication and support throughout a stressful time prepared me for online-learning and other unprecedented times. During this course, my professor greeted deep, and often “off topic” conversations with patience. This taught me that it is okay to stray a little from the planned lesson, as long as students are learning and interested. It is important to take the time to check in with your students, even if it takes away from academic time. Knowing your students, understanding them, and listening to their thoughts and concerns is equally as important as teaching academics, especially during this time.

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Preparation, Positive Feedback, and Management

            The second course that impacted me the most as a teacher was Counseling, Educational Philosophy, and Special Education (CEP) 841: Classroom & Behavior Management in the Inclusive Classroom, taught by Troy Mariage. I took this course in the summer of 2021. I had just completed my first year of teaching, and unfortunately I was nowhere near Miss Honey’s standards of calm and peaceful order in the classroom. However, I learned that it is okay to not be exactly like Miss Honey, as long as my classroom procedures are beneficial to my students. Ultimately, I learned that every single aspect of my classroom, significant or not, needs to be carefully and meticulously planned out. As a new teacher, I knew I needed a lot of practice in the areas of classroom and behavior management. I felt that this was one of my weaknesses as a teacher, despite an extremely successful first year. In one of my reflection pieces in this class, I was asked to state concerns and questions about what I want to learn about classroom management, disciple, and building an inclusive learning community. One of my questions was: “how can I manage my classroom so that I am overwhelmed less, and can concentrate on my student’s education more?” I have found that I will likely always be reviewing and reflecting on this particular question. During CEP 841, I learned about a behavior management technique, PBIS, or Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support, according the Barbara Larrivee, is a holistic, positive approach to managing more difficult classroom behaviors. PBIS means that educators look at a student’s home life, social life, academics, and more when considering how to help a student. Through PBIS, educators take preventative measures to prevent disruptive behavior, use positive reinforcement, and keep consistent rules and expectations throughout the entire school year. CEP 841 also taught me that students need to be responsible for their own behavior and learning, once expectations have been explained and reviewed consistently throughout the year. Although preventative measures may be in place, there will always be some behaviors that are not ideal in the classroom. However, many times students try to meet their needs through their behavior, which usually impacts my teaching. Understanding a student, and why they act the way they do, will likely help me to determine how to best help them. Unideal behavior is often followed with punishment in the classroom, and it is not usually related to the original action. Consequences needs to be well thought out, and related to the problem. Time-outs are not the best way to resolve problems. Students need to be their own regulators of their behaviors, and need to be able to talk about the problem with their teachers and peers. Students need to be heard, especially during stressful times in a classroom, and explain what they were feeling and why. After, students need to reflect on their own actions and what they can do better next time. Meticulously planned classroom procedures can help prevent unideal behaviors. Every moment of every day needs to be thought out, and possible outcomes needs to be evaluated by a teacher. The teacher should discuss expectations for every classroom procedure, and consequences for not following these procedures need to be discussed as a class and agreed upon.

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Creativity, Analysis, and Research

            The third course that impacted me the most as a teacher was Teacher Education (TE) 842: Elementary Reading Assessment and Instruction, taught by Laura Tortorelli. I also completed this course in the summer of 2021, after completing my first year of teaching. This course allowed me to explore my abilities of analyzing student data to understand the whole child using a variety of assessments. Once assessments are personal knowledge of my students were completed, I was able to expand my abilities of setting learning goals for students, including learning goals that correlate with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). While using these learning goals, I was able to use my creativity to compose a variety of instructional strategies that target a specific goal I identified. This class also provided me with the skills to find reliable, helpful educational resources that I can include in my instructional strategies. This course also provided me a chance to research new, modern techniques through a book club, which extensively studied Heidi Anne Mesmer’s “Letter Lessons and First Words: Phonics Foundations that Work.” This book club allowed me to practice researching, and continue my need to be a lifelong learner. This research is important because I will likely continue this research throughout my career. The field of education is always evolving, and I will need to continue to learn in order to keep up with new information that will benefit my students for years to come.

 

Education Today

           The field of education has never been more scrutinized and criticized as it is today. Any profession involved with the field of education understands the pressures that come with the job. Teachers in particular “wear many hats” in order to best serve their students, acting not only as a teacher, but many other roles as well. Yet, teachers still receive a lot of pressure from the general public. Michigan State University Master of Art’s in Education program has equipped me with the tools to take on the task I meant to do: be a teacher. Miss Honey’s character in “Matilda” showed me that a teacher should be patient, loving, kind, and compassionate. MSU showed me that teaching also requires instruction, assessment, reflection, flexibility, exploration, planning, preparation, positive feedback, management, creativity, analysis, and research. These are just a few of the skills teachers need in order to create a classroom where students feel safe, loved, comfortable, and willing to take risks in their education. This may feel like a daunting task, but if Miss Honey can do it, so can I…. 

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