The Mary Smith story resonated with me because I've also had some experiences with students who didn't listen or do as told, and teachers I've talked to have told me stories of others who quit early on in their teaching career because they couldn't handle it. I think it's natural as TC's to have idealistic views of the classroom and then be dumped on by reality once they step into a classroom. However, I think to be a good teacher, one has to persevere and keep trying (because they truly want to make an impact on students' lives). That's why I agree that being reflective and learning from our mistakes rather than running away when things don't go as planned is what's needed to for prospective teachers to grow and move forward.
The article has made me realize that I need to play a more active role as a TC by questioning the norm (what we take for granted), such as why teachers structure a lesson in the way they do or how they decide how long to spend on one topic/unit versus another, rather than passively accepting things as they are at face value. By inquiring into the process, I would gain more insight into different perspectives and I believe that will give me insight and ideas on how I want to structure my lessons and my own goals as a teacher. Every teacher is different and inquiring into other perspectives helps us shape ourselves into the teachers we want to become.
I leave off with a quote from the article I really liked: (p. 114)
"there is a fundamental choice for you to make: whether you will give some direction to your training or let others direct it for you"
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