Chapters 5 And 6

These chapters were loaded with a lot of great, useful information. I really love how this author does a great job explaining things in such a clear way. "The agreement responds with a pledge to bring investment, invitation, opportunity, persistence and time for reflection , place, and interactions that will bind together teacher and learner. It sets the tone for what is possible. The agreement is the first step, a step of immense consequence, but it is the beginning."
I think that as teachers, we need to answer students' plea to "please invest in me." Every student has the need for investment and it is our duty to invest. It is silly to say that there isn't enough time or that there isn't enough pay because, personally, I have benefited from teachers who personally invested in me, teaching me, not teaching subjects. That was so powerful to my interests, just like in the book of algebra and German. I totally see how teachers can make or break someones interests. In order to be fair to students and their interests it is important to support every students skills, and interests. I think that teachers should share interests, however, they shouldn't bias students by just teaching the subjects, they should teach the STUDENTS. Along with invitation, teachers need to invite students to be apart of new things, to try a new skill and be creative. Teachers should invite students to share their interests with the class and invite students to work with each other. It is amazing how much more willing I am to do something, if I am invited (socially or academically). Isn't that how we work as a society? We get invited to a friends house, or we get invited to show how we solved a problem. Giving students an opportunity to show what they know and what they are good at is a great way to create a great community of learners. Investing, inviting and giving opportunities is a great way to get to know your students so you can differentiate them accordingly. Being persistent is a must for a teacher as well. I see this as a big shouting sign "DON'T GIVE UP!" Even though there are bad days and good days, I feel that it is important to let each student know that you aren't giving up on them. I want to say "nope, not in this class." in terms of my persistence of not giving up. It is a differentiated process, and I hope that I can be the teacher who never gives up.
"All children can learn" does not mean "all children are the same." I like how this quote encompasses differentiation. We know that all children can learn, now, let's find how they do it. Further in the quote it talks about how diversity is not only on the outside, it's not the INSIDE too! Hello, I never thought about it like that, but it is so true. We are all so different, inside and outside. It is the job of the teacher to help students to work in their ZPD and make sure that we are always pushing our students to learn more. It is true that students will be on all different levels of development and it is our job to help students keep achieving more and not letting them stay stagnant in one place. I hope to never give my students a crutch or an excuse to never achieve more.