Sunday, November 16, 2008
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Received this in an e-mail to day. Not sure who to attribute it to.
As she stood in front of her 5th grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children an untruth. Like most teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same. However, that was impossible, because there in the front row, slumped in his seat, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard.
Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he did not play well with the other children, that his clothes were messy and that he constantly needed a bath. In addition, Teddy could be unpleasant. It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X's and then putting a big 'F' at the top of his papers.
!
At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review each child's past records and she put Teddy's off until last. However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise.
Teddy's first grade teacher wrote, 'Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners... he is a joy to be around..'
His second grade teacher wrote, 'Teddy is an excellent student, well liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle.'
His third grade teacher wrote, 'His mother's death! has be en hard on him. He tries to do his best, but his father doesn't show much interest, and his home life will soon affect him if some steps aren't taken.'
Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, 'Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in school. He doesn't have many friends and he sometimes sleeps in class.'
By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except for Teddy's. His present was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper that he got from a grocery bag. Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents. Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinesto! ne brac elet with some of the stones missing, and a bottle that was one-quarter full of perfume. But she stifled the children's laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist. Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day just long enough to say, 'Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mom used to.'
After the children left, she cried for at least an hour. On that very day, she quit teaching reading, writing and arithmetic. Instead, she began to teach children. Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded. By the end of the year, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class and, despite her lie that she would love all the children the same, Teddy became one of her 'teac! her's p ets..'
A year later, she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling her that she was the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.
Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in life.
Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had been tough at times, he'd stayed in school, had stuck with it, and would soon graduate from college with the highest of honors. He assured Mrs. Thompson that she was still the best and favorite teacher he had ever had in his whole life.
Then four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he explained that after he got his bachelor's degree, he decided to go a little further. The letter explained that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had. But now his name was a little longer.... The letter was signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, MD.
The story does not end there. You see, there was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said he had met this girl and was going to be married. He explained that his father had died a couple of years ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit at the wedding in the place that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom. Of course, Mrs. Thompson did. And guess what? She wore that bracelet, the one with several! rhines tones missing. Moreover, she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on their last Christmas together.
They hugged each other, and Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson's ear, 'Thank you Mrs. Thompson for believing in me. Thank you so much for making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference.'
Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said, 'Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn't know how to teach until I met you.'
(For you that don't know, Teddy Stoddard is the Dr. at Iowa Methodist in ! Des Moi nes that has the Stoddard Cancer Wing.)
Warm someone's heart today. . . pass this along. I love this story so very much, I cry every time I read it. Just try to make a difference in someone's life today? tomorrow? just 'do it'.
Random acts of kindness, I think they call it!
Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he did not play well with the other children, that his clothes were messy and that he constantly needed a bath. In addition, Teddy could be unpleasant. It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X's and then putting a big 'F' at the top of his papers.
!
At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review each child's past records and she put Teddy's off until last. However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise.
Teddy's first grade teacher wrote, 'Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners... he is a joy to be around..'
His second grade teacher wrote, 'Teddy is an excellent student, well liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle.'
His third grade teacher wrote, 'His mother's death! has be en hard on him. He tries to do his best, but his father doesn't show much interest, and his home life will soon affect him if some steps aren't taken.'
Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, 'Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in school. He doesn't have many friends and he sometimes sleeps in class.'
By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except for Teddy's. His present was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper that he got from a grocery bag. Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents. Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinesto! ne brac elet with some of the stones missing, and a bottle that was one-quarter full of perfume. But she stifled the children's laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist. Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day just long enough to say, 'Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mom used to.'
After the children left, she cried for at least an hour. On that very day, she quit teaching reading, writing and arithmetic. Instead, she began to teach children. Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded. By the end of the year, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class and, despite her lie that she would love all the children the same, Teddy became one of her 'teac! her's p ets..'
A year later, she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling her that she was the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.
Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in life.
Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had been tough at times, he'd stayed in school, had stuck with it, and would soon graduate from college with the highest of honors. He assured Mrs. Thompson that she was still the best and favorite teacher he had ever had in his whole life.
Then four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he explained that after he got his bachelor's degree, he decided to go a little further. The letter explained that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had. But now his name was a little longer.... The letter was signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, MD.
The story does not end there. You see, there was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said he had met this girl and was going to be married. He explained that his father had died a couple of years ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit at the wedding in the place that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom. Of course, Mrs. Thompson did. And guess what? She wore that bracelet, the one with several! rhines tones missing. Moreover, she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on their last Christmas together.
They hugged each other, and Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson's ear, 'Thank you Mrs. Thompson for believing in me. Thank you so much for making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference.'
Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said, 'Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn't know how to teach until I met you.'
(For you that don't know, Teddy Stoddard is the Dr. at Iowa Methodist in ! Des Moi nes that has the Stoddard Cancer Wing.)
Warm someone's heart today. . . pass this along. I love this story so very much, I cry every time I read it. Just try to make a difference in someone's life today? tomorrow? just 'do it'.
Random acts of kindness, I think they call it!
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Reflection#1: Being PRESENT
Always obtain Photo Releases!!
There are so many pictures that tell the story of my teaching project. You will never see them here because I did not think to obtain the proper authorizations. Why not? Didn't need to. My scrapbooks are full of photos not suitable for publishing. The scrapbook pages are crumbling and the newspaper articles are yellowing.
Actually, in the early years, there was no Internet in schools before the Apple IIe. I was the last person to play Atari Pong for the first time, and my first cell phone and calculator needed a wheeled suitcase for portability. The early photos would be great displayed for all to see, like the photo spreads of Oprah's hair-do's through time. I am no exception to the rule of trends.
I looked very young. I was full of promise. I pushed the envelope of what was allowed. I got in trouble a lot. We commandeered the custodian and parachuted raw eggs off the gymnasium. Say no more...right? Our bottle rockets leaped small buildings and landed on faculty and neighborhood cars. The dogfish(old smelly dog shark which had the coolest eggs sacs and life/dead young inside her..too good to throw away before first period saw it on Monday) in the faculty fridge was probably the last straw for collegiality in the science wing area. Then there was the dead and frozen coyote that had mice and berries in his gut and and the dog skeleton that made great musical instruments. I almost did not sell my house because I had too many cow bones on the roof, bleaching and the new owners thought that I was a witch. But I digress...It is not all about discrepant events and hands on, although the my lifelong teaching project evolved from book-learnin through all of the above and more.
Aside from stupid hair and clothing that has cycled around again (leggings, bleahh), what the pictures would tell is science had become a culture, a way of thinking, a way of approaching life for and with my students. In fact, much of what I learned about myself I did not learn in Kindergarten, but in middle school. Not the first time in middle school--we all remember what a time that was! When I taught middle school, the process of teaching/facilitation/participating with the kids was all-encompassing. There is so much woo-woo talk today about being present for yourself amd family, your dog(a la the Dog Whisperer, Cesar Milan) and horses...because being distracted is not a way to live life. But, distracted we are with NCLB, and our families and the faculty meeting and evaluations and the ball game scores...
We need to be present for our students. We are always "on", always teaching something with our facial expressions, our grimaces, the way we call on students and how we sometimes turn our back on a student by accident or do not hear the question. WE are always teaching something whether we intend to or not. Students learn from our model. 98% of what we mean is conveyed by our bodies. 2% by our words. The students know. Especially the little ones and the odd ones and the ones you kick out of class all the time. Are you present for all of them?
What does it mean, being present?
Have you heard of the Pike Place Market fish sellers in Seattle? http://www.pikeplacefish.com/funstuff/webcam/default.htm
http://www.pikeplacefish.com/funstuff/sightsnsounds.htm
They have appeared around the world, are not high school grads or college grads, but fish sellers, wrappers and throwers. They are famous because they understand how to be present for their customers who often travel the world to see the teamwork as the fish fly 20 or more feet and always land in the wrapping paper. What does this have to do with teaching? Listen to Eckart Tolle, or read the Power of Intention, or just sit in your classroom and watch the students and really listen and SEE them. If you make a mistake, be truthful. If you yelled, say you are sorry and if you are unprepared, tell them so. Be honest with yourself and then be yourself. The person. Walk the walk.
Being present does not mean perfect attendance or perfect manners or staying extra hours after school. Being present means being real. Being present means that if you have bias against some cultures or hairstyles, admit it to yourself and do not let your prejudices affect your dealing with every child, doing your job with every child. Own the feelings, do not act on them. Equity happens when you are present.
This is what happens when you are not.
I had a 17 year old 9th grader who blew out of my math and science classes every day in the small alternative school. He would purposely look me in the eye, push my buttons, and if I did not rise to the bait, he would tip a desk, fling paint, punch someone, so I would have to respond.
After 7 months of this (this WAS the alternative setting for behavior students, no where for him to go), he finally shared with another teacher that he was afraid to sit out in my classroom because he felt so anxious and exposed. In the other classrooms he was allowed to sit at the teacher's desk, or in a corner. I had big round tables for science work and it was a large white room. My student, let's call him Freddy, also said that he felt that he was not worthy of the Algebra class and he was not a quick thinker in science(preferred the bookwork to the inquiry).
It turned out that his third grade teacher had put him in the hall during Math for almost the whole year, and would not let him participate in science lessons because he was a bad, disrespectful student. Freddy had carried the shame and consternation of being in the hallway for all to see since the 3rd grade!!! He traced his chronic bullying and violent behavior to that time. I did not see the connection as clearly as Freddy did, but that I did was not important. That I listened and learned from it was key.
We had him e-mail his 3rd grade teacher and ask her if she remembered him. We had him tell of his great accomplishments in our school (eventually he passed Algebra with a B). Apparently she did not remember him as a horrible person, Freddy only thought she did. He wrote her a note of apology and they met, and Freddy was cured. We never knew exactly what was said or what transpired in poor third grade Freddy's school life, but he believed he was not worthy, and that was all that mattered. For 6 years!!
Long posting. Sorry.
Be present for your students. Listen to them and be with them. Celebrate them as the people they are, who they are in the moment. Listen to what is not being said, and learn.
There are so many pictures that tell the story of my teaching project. You will never see them here because I did not think to obtain the proper authorizations. Why not? Didn't need to. My scrapbooks are full of photos not suitable for publishing. The scrapbook pages are crumbling and the newspaper articles are yellowing.
Actually, in the early years, there was no Internet in schools before the Apple IIe. I was the last person to play Atari Pong for the first time, and my first cell phone and calculator needed a wheeled suitcase for portability. The early photos would be great displayed for all to see, like the photo spreads of Oprah's hair-do's through time. I am no exception to the rule of trends.
I looked very young. I was full of promise. I pushed the envelope of what was allowed. I got in trouble a lot. We commandeered the custodian and parachuted raw eggs off the gymnasium. Say no more...right? Our bottle rockets leaped small buildings and landed on faculty and neighborhood cars. The dogfish(old smelly dog shark which had the coolest eggs sacs and life/dead young inside her..too good to throw away before first period saw it on Monday) in the faculty fridge was probably the last straw for collegiality in the science wing area. Then there was the dead and frozen coyote that had mice and berries in his gut and and the dog skeleton that made great musical instruments. I almost did not sell my house because I had too many cow bones on the roof, bleaching and the new owners thought that I was a witch. But I digress...It is not all about discrepant events and hands on, although the my lifelong teaching project evolved from book-learnin through all of the above and more.
Aside from stupid hair and clothing that has cycled around again (leggings, bleahh), what the pictures would tell is science had become a culture, a way of thinking, a way of approaching life for and with my students. In fact, much of what I learned about myself I did not learn in Kindergarten, but in middle school. Not the first time in middle school--we all remember what a time that was! When I taught middle school, the process of teaching/facilitation/participating with the kids was all-encompassing. There is so much woo-woo talk today about being present for yourself amd family, your dog(a la the Dog Whisperer, Cesar Milan) and horses...because being distracted is not a way to live life. But, distracted we are with NCLB, and our families and the faculty meeting and evaluations and the ball game scores...
We need to be present for our students. We are always "on", always teaching something with our facial expressions, our grimaces, the way we call on students and how we sometimes turn our back on a student by accident or do not hear the question. WE are always teaching something whether we intend to or not. Students learn from our model. 98% of what we mean is conveyed by our bodies. 2% by our words. The students know. Especially the little ones and the odd ones and the ones you kick out of class all the time. Are you present for all of them?
What does it mean, being present?
Have you heard of the Pike Place Market fish sellers in Seattle? http://www.pikeplacefish.com/funstuff/webcam/default.htm
http://www.pikeplacefish.com/funstuff/sightsnsounds.htm
They have appeared around the world, are not high school grads or college grads, but fish sellers, wrappers and throwers. They are famous because they understand how to be present for their customers who often travel the world to see the teamwork as the fish fly 20 or more feet and always land in the wrapping paper. What does this have to do with teaching? Listen to Eckart Tolle, or read the Power of Intention, or just sit in your classroom and watch the students and really listen and SEE them. If you make a mistake, be truthful. If you yelled, say you are sorry and if you are unprepared, tell them so. Be honest with yourself and then be yourself. The person. Walk the walk.
Being present does not mean perfect attendance or perfect manners or staying extra hours after school. Being present means being real. Being present means that if you have bias against some cultures or hairstyles, admit it to yourself and do not let your prejudices affect your dealing with every child, doing your job with every child. Own the feelings, do not act on them. Equity happens when you are present.
This is what happens when you are not.
I had a 17 year old 9th grader who blew out of my math and science classes every day in the small alternative school. He would purposely look me in the eye, push my buttons, and if I did not rise to the bait, he would tip a desk, fling paint, punch someone, so I would have to respond.
After 7 months of this (this WAS the alternative setting for behavior students, no where for him to go), he finally shared with another teacher that he was afraid to sit out in my classroom because he felt so anxious and exposed. In the other classrooms he was allowed to sit at the teacher's desk, or in a corner. I had big round tables for science work and it was a large white room. My student, let's call him Freddy, also said that he felt that he was not worthy of the Algebra class and he was not a quick thinker in science(preferred the bookwork to the inquiry).
It turned out that his third grade teacher had put him in the hall during Math for almost the whole year, and would not let him participate in science lessons because he was a bad, disrespectful student. Freddy had carried the shame and consternation of being in the hallway for all to see since the 3rd grade!!! He traced his chronic bullying and violent behavior to that time. I did not see the connection as clearly as Freddy did, but that I did was not important. That I listened and learned from it was key.
We had him e-mail his 3rd grade teacher and ask her if she remembered him. We had him tell of his great accomplishments in our school (eventually he passed Algebra with a B). Apparently she did not remember him as a horrible person, Freddy only thought she did. He wrote her a note of apology and they met, and Freddy was cured. We never knew exactly what was said or what transpired in poor third grade Freddy's school life, but he believed he was not worthy, and that was all that mattered. For 6 years!!
Long posting. Sorry.
Be present for your students. Listen to them and be with them. Celebrate them as the people they are, who they are in the moment. Listen to what is not being said, and learn.
The Project
If one truly believes improvisation is necessary to navigate life on a daily basis, it is necessary, then, to choose a "life project" which allows suitable width and breadth to allow improvisation to occur. Professionally speaking, it is ideal when the life work in a career sense is also the "life project". I choose teaching. My life is rather ideal.
I want to use the forum of this blogspace to reflect upon my teaching. I am not involved in any study, nor has my opinion been solicited for even a local review about teaching. I do, however, feel that I have something to offer to the academy from over 25 years in and around classrooms as a practicing educator. My main interest is "perpetuation of the species"--new teacher development.
The "Project" to which I refer is the capstone experience, the culminating event, the TERMINAL DEGREE...a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction, Science Education. I hope that the pursuit of this degree will only serve to perpetuate my interest in teaching science.
Ideally, my reflections here will in some small manner, pose insightful , if not critical, questions for the readers. I will not promise that you will agree with all that I write, and I will not pull any punches with the key issues that I have encountered in a quarter century of lifework with children in schools and communities. If this the only "bully pulpit" that I may claim, then I will use it to best advantage.
Welcome to all and I hope you will feel free to engage in discourse about anything you may encounter here. I am a "blogvirgin", so bear with me.
Let us begin...
I want to use the forum of this blogspace to reflect upon my teaching. I am not involved in any study, nor has my opinion been solicited for even a local review about teaching. I do, however, feel that I have something to offer to the academy from over 25 years in and around classrooms as a practicing educator. My main interest is "perpetuation of the species"--new teacher development.
The "Project" to which I refer is the capstone experience, the culminating event, the TERMINAL DEGREE...a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction, Science Education. I hope that the pursuit of this degree will only serve to perpetuate my interest in teaching science.
Ideally, my reflections here will in some small manner, pose insightful , if not critical, questions for the readers. I will not promise that you will agree with all that I write, and I will not pull any punches with the key issues that I have encountered in a quarter century of lifework with children in schools and communities. If this the only "bully pulpit" that I may claim, then I will use it to best advantage.
Welcome to all and I hope you will feel free to engage in discourse about anything you may encounter here. I am a "blogvirgin", so bear with me.
Let us begin...
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Donna DeNoble’s Philosophy of Education for the “New Millenium”
"It is radical conditions which have changed, and only an equally radical change in education suffices."
John Dewey, 1899
My personal philosophy of education has been molded by an eclectic compilation of beliefs collected over thirty years of formal education practice. As Dewey so aptly noted in 1899, conditions of life are subject to radical change, and once again, teachers are charged with the monumental role of delivering education that is dynamic and responsive to life changes. Given that responsibility, my educational philosophy must follow the tenets of Dewey, Vygotsky, Postman, Weingartner and a contemporary philosopher, Jane Roland Martin. It is time in education to rediscover experiential or inquiry learning in its pure sense, and in a context of progressive theory—“Learning By Doing” in a real world. My ideals in education reflect all of these imperatives and can be nested in the belief that the learning environment has assumed a new critical importance, that of the “schoolhome” described by Martin (1995).
To craft a philosophy in the twilight of a career provides an opportunity to remember and reflect. What I remember is the thrill of witnessing the “aha” moment when a child makes a connection to something inside him or herself. Dewey theorized that “the child's own instincts and powers furnish the material and give the starting point for all education.” The educator can only be the facilitator, and only though a student centered approach to learning-- “the continual and sympathetic observation of childhood's interests”-- can the adult enter into the child's life and see what it is ready for, and “upon what material it could work most readily.” For at-risk learners, resiliency is built upon instinct and power. As an educator, my goal is to discover and draw out those qualities in a child. What I reflect upon is how my role has changed over the years and how my teaching helps or hinders the discovery process in the whole child. An educator wields the tremendous ability to create or destroy power within a learner. All learners can learn and will exhibit a zeal for learning if the correct setting is cultivated and confidence building methods are used by the educator. Regarding teaching method, I believe, as did Dewey, that in all education, the process is the product. Dewey cautioned that, “They [the methods] do not fix his attention upon the fact that he has to learn something and so make his attitude self-conscious and constrained. They engage his activities, and in the process of engagement he learns.” My belief in the inquiry method is motivated by Postman's and Weingartner's( Teaching as a Subversive Activity ,1969) recognition that the activities and behaviors of intelligent people ("good learners") at all stages in life focuses on the process of inquiry, not an end product of mere knowledge. They write that certain characteristics are common to all good learners, saying that all good learners have self-confidence in their learning ability. Vygotsky discovered that modeling experiential and inquiry methods foster the enculturation of both subject matter and social skill development. High risk families and youth in today’s society have few models beyond schools to develop the enculturation of knowledge and the social capital to be successful adults and parents. To address this issue, a new philosophy was developed by Jane Roland Martin. Dr. Martin termed this the "schoolhome" philosophy. Martin proposes that,
instead of focusing our gaze on abstract norms, standardized tests, and generalized rates of success and uniform outcomes, the idea of the schoolhome directs attention to actual educational practice. Of course, a schoolhome will teach the three R's. But it will give equal emphasis to the three C's of care, concern, and connection---not by designating formal courses in these fundamentals but by being a domestic environment characterized by safety, security, nurturance, and love. In a schoolhome, classroom climate, school routines and rituals, teachers' modes of teaching, and children's ways of learning are all guided by a spirit of family-like affection.
The role of the educator in facilitating the learning environment is the key to fostering a need to know and cultivating a respect for lifelong learning in children. As an educator in the new millennium I must use all my beliefs to elicit skills for lifelong learning so the learner can to adapt to the “radical” changes in conditions that are continuing to this day. Globalization, erosion of the family--the first educational unit of society--and movement toward a service-based economy necessitate that I prepare learners for a world we all have yet to discover.
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Why Improv?
Much of teaching involves "being in the moment" with students. Being "present" is the first step to innovation in teaching. The title and substance of this blog is inspired by a dissertation by David L. Young. He says, " A reflective and analytical understanding of related phenomenological scholarship could support enhanced perception of the improvisational ways of being--of life as an ongoing journey of improvisation."
Taking David's idea one step further, teachers who view a teaching career as a journey of adaptation and incorporation of what life and the classroom have to offer will become the ultimate improvisors and, as a result, innovators. Paulo Friere insists that teachers need to know their students in order to adapt the learning to them and for them, as they exist in the moment.
Hopefully this blog will provide a forum to discuss the improvisational educator's journey from novice teacher to lifelong educator.
Young, David (2005) . An invitation: improvisational living and teaching. Retrieved September 8, 2007 from http://ir.lib.sfu.ca/retrieve/2104/etd1733.pdf
Taking David's idea one step further, teachers who view a teaching career as a journey of adaptation and incorporation of what life and the classroom have to offer will become the ultimate improvisors and, as a result, innovators. Paulo Friere insists that teachers need to know their students in order to adapt the learning to them and for them, as they exist in the moment.
Hopefully this blog will provide a forum to discuss the improvisational educator's journey from novice teacher to lifelong educator.
Young, David (2005) . An invitation: improvisational living and teaching. Retrieved September 8, 2007 from http://ir.lib.sfu.ca/retrieve/2104/etd1733.pdf
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