Andrew Smeathers
Prof. Johnson
ED 227
March 19th 2013
Role of Power in the Community
With the large amount of time we have spent at Shortridge High School I
have began to notice that different teachers have their own way of classroom
management and communication. I have also noticed that depending on the
teacher’s area of content that they differ from other teachers in different subjects. I
visited a freshman year English teacher and he tried to make it so that the students
had as much freedom as possible. He trusted his students to be in charge of doing
the bell ringers for the class. He also gave students the option to create a poetry
slam. This is a student run event that the teacher does not have to work on. This
teacher had more freedom with his students than the math teacher we went to see
next. It makes sense for this. In mathematics there is only so much freedom one can
give the students. There is much less creativity available in math when compared to
English. Even though the teachers at Shortridge do not all teach the same subject, it
is obvious where the power of the classroom is located.
I have noticed at Shortridge that there is a mutual respect between the
teachers and the students. To have this at any school is impressive let alone at a
public school with little funding. How does a school with little resources pull this
off? How come some schools with large amounts of funding and backing not have
this respect? From what I could tell the teachers knew how to rationalize their
power to not overwhelm the students but to show them that they were in control
and there for them at the same time. It seems that I have used the same scenario in
all of my reflections but it comes to mind over this topic once again. A student
without knowing the teacher was listening says the “f” word. Without hesitation the
teacher looks at the student and says, “Hey!” The student looks up and makes eye
contact and that was the end of their conversation. The teacher knew it was her
responsibility to show that inappropriate language would not be tolerated in her
classroom. The respect that the teacher had for the student to not make a big deal
over such a little problem. There was no reason for the teacher to punish the
student because the student knew she had done wrong.
There is not one huge thing that I have taken away from the different
teachers I have shadowed so far. Instead I have taken little ideas and concepts from
each teacher to build off of. To be a successful teacher I believe that the students
have to be engaged the entire class. If the teacher is to harsh or to laid back the
students will not give you their entire focus. As a teacher I want to be upfront with
my students and treat them as adults. I know that they are still teenagers but by
putting my trust in them I hope that they will be able to put their trust in me. One
thing that is huge in all of the classrooms I have seen is that communication is key.
Without communication there is no way to get ideas or thoughts to and from the
students. Another thing I have noticed about these teachers is that they are all very
passionate about their jobs. They are able to come to school every single day and
give it their best. How do they do that? There have to be days they do not want to
show up or deal with a certain child. How do you make the kids want to be in class?