The Teacherly Me

Tag: november-blogging-challenge

• Published by Sergio Yanes November 9th, 2014

  What are your strengths? Which are you most grateful for?

  November 5

  I like reading. I like literature. However, I wouldn’t say that literary knowledge is a strength. I know I’m well-read, and I know how to analyze literature. But, what I’m really good at is composition and rhetoric. I know about voice in writing. I’m an extremely logical person, constantly thinking through connections and making new connections. I love linguistics and focusing on how language works to help us all communicate. This is what helps me the most in analyzing literature. I parse sentences and dive into the diction. To me, language is music, an art itself.

  I’m also effective at visual communication. My experience in graphic design and visual rhetoric is enhanced by an understanding that language is just as visual as it can be aural or oral. It is meant to be seen and heard.

  Ultimately, what I have is passion. I care about communicating and connecting with other human beings because, in the end, that is what matters. Life is made up of these connections. This passion is what keeps me loving what I do. It allows me to have a new experience each day in my classroom. I don’t collect things; I collect experiences.

  Tags

  teaching attitudeofgratitude november-blogging-challenge
• Published by Sergio Yanes November 8th, 2014

  

  What was the nicest gift that you received from student/parent/colleague?

  November 4

  The nicest gift I’ve gotten to date has to be the Chemex coffeemaker my (then) intern gave me last year on her last day. It was a gift to thank me for inviting her into my classroom and for helping her become a better teacher. It is the neatest coffeemaker, and in her own words, it works and the coffee tastes amazing “because science!"

  

  What makes this gift so special is that I have a constant reminder of the best internship I’ve had to date. Stephanie was a fantastic intern, and I am so proud of her. Also, I’m so happy that she was hired at our school and that she is having such a great first year! She is a true professional who loves her career and always pushes herself to be better. She has helped me just as much as she claims that I helped her. She is proof that this profession is not doomed, that it is going to be okay. No, not just okay. Better than ever.

  Tags

  attitudeofgratitude november-blogging-challenge
• Published by Sergio Yanes November 8th, 2014

  

  What are you most proud of to date in your teaching career?

  November 3

  I am not in the habit of listing my qualifications, accomplishments, or accolades, so this prompt is actually a welcome challenge. What I am most proud of to date is having received validation on a national level for my efforts and pedagogical beliefs. A few weeks ago, I found out my proposal for a 3-hour workshop at FETC—one of the largest education technology conferences in the nation—had been accepted. I have done trainings at my school and all over my district, and I have presented a poster at FETC and have co-presented with other peers, but this is the first time I’ll be doing a full workshop in front of, hopefully, a sizable national audience.

  Being accepted for this showed me that I’m growing and expanding my expertise in a way that can help even more teachers be better in their own classrooms. The next challenge is pulling off a successful workshop!

  If you are attending FETC in January 2015, look for this workshop:

  (WTP029) Who Needs a File Cabinet? Transitioning to OneNote

  
  

  
  

  Tags

  fetc attitudeofgratitude november-blogging-challenge fetc15
• Published by Sergio Yanes November 8th, 2014

  What is one small delight in the day that you always look forward to?

  November 2

  Every day, I look forward to working with my students, especially my yearbook staff. I love having a creative outlet, where I can talk about “non-English" things, like graphic design, typography, and pop culture. I love talking about developing a style in journalism and the ethics and duties of a journalist. I love playing with a computer. I love teaching the staff how to make the idea in their heads match what is ultimately printed.

  See, yearbook—journalism, in general—is the most collaborative, real-world experience most of my students have access to. Here, they have complete control over a gargantuan undertaking. They are afraid to mess up because they want it to be right. It is their yearbook. Here, they talk to each other about life matters, but also about the proper place for a comma in that list about Zac’s favorite bands. Here, they realize that language isn’t about national standards or state exams; here, it is about communication and effect. Here, they tie the verbal to the visual in a way few English classes can effectively do.

  I fell into this position of yearbook advisor by chance, and I was nervous when I took over. But, I couldn’t imagine my chaotic day without this hilarious bunch of professionals who contradict the pervading stigma that teenagers are immature, irresponsible, ignorant twits that need to be controlled.

  Tags

  yearbook journalism november-blogging-challenge
• Published by Sergio Yanes November 8th, 2014

  November Blogging Challenge

  The November Blogging Challenge is something that I came across on TeachThought forums. Since I haven’t posted in ages, I figured this would be a good way to get back into the game. The prompts for the challenge can be found here.

  
  

  November 1: What are the best aspects of being a teacher?

  Being a teacher is a tough, thankless job. Still, I love it, not because I’m a glutton for punishment but because I am helping others find their passion. I help my students discover the importance of having goals, and they work hard to meet those goals. One of the most fulfilling things about my work is when I see a student understand what he/she wants from life. When he/she starts to take control of his/her own experience. I love and appreciate my students. They are funny. They keep me honest. They prove to me daily that there is hope. We can have a world that is better.

  Another inspiring aspect of my career is working with other teachers who have the same goals, who understand that being an effective teacher means pushing and growing beyond our limits. As a technology trainer and professional development facilitator, I am so lucky to work with teachers who feel the same as I do: that “I don’t know" isn’t some sort of death knell signaling ineffective teaching; that “I don’t know" is what drives us to learn more and do better.

  That’s what makes my profession so wonderful—Growth. Evolution. Improvement. I got into this career to help others be better. In turn, their problems, questions, and challenges make me better. As it should be.

  Tags

  teaching attitudeofgratitude november-blogging-challenge