Sept. 14: Entrance Slip - Grant & Zeichner article: On becoming a reflective teacher

Sept. 14: Entrance Slip - Grant & Zeichner article: On becoming a reflective teacher

There is an assumption which suggests that old information is irrelevant -- clearly, this is far from the truth. The age of information does not degrade nor change on age; instead, new ideas are generated over time which may or may not replace documented knowledge. Grant and Zeichner's ageless article of educational evaluations and considerations succinctly reminded me about the importance of teaching -- not only for the students, but for yourself as well. Reflection, a word heard iteratively stated throughout my teacher candidacy, is still relevant to my everyday actions -- no less meaningful from now and two week ago. I think it is easy to forget to assess introspectively when one is caught in the professionalism of teacher lifestyle. However, the fact is, that we are all human and are continuously learning, even if it means learning more about yourself -- regardless and independent of age. Self reflections allow for personal growth and improvements which may have been unnoticed otherwise. As teachers, we often attempt to be open, responsible, and caring towards our students, but rarely do we consciously enforce these principles towards ourselves. Grant and Zeichner claims that these three steps are crucially important for a healthy and stable mental health as a teacher: open mindedness, responsibility, and wholeheartedness.

Despite evaluating and assessing others within the profession, rarely does it occur to the same magnitude upon ourselves as it may be less cognitively aware of to be more critical upon yourself than others. By participating in regular reflections, unknown or unnoticed difficulties, comprehension, and clarity within your teaching may be addressed for improved over time. As we challenge the students, we must also challenge ourselves as educators, unlike complacency suggested by the paper. Their article highly suggests that teachers must be reflectionist within every aspect of life. Not only do I agree with their philosophy, I believe that teachers must -- not should -- reflect throughout their lives. Even if this consumes additional plethora of time, reflection is the main assessment to critically evaluate oneself and teachers are only as good as the verification of greatness from themselves. When having the power and influence to inspire and change future generations, we must not settle nor accept mediocrity as an educator.