Reflection 1

So to day was the first day that I taught the class.  It was about shutterfly a program online that allows you to make a photo book.  I feel like I was fairly confident in how I presented for my first time.  There is definitely a lot of room for improvement but regardless I felt good about how I presented the material.  Things I could definitely work on is engaging the class more.  It seemed like I was giving a speech more then actually teaching students.  So I'm going to work on getting the class more involved in what is being taught.  That seems to help me learn anyways. 
The next thing that has been helping me learn is a book written by Harry and Rosemary Wong called "The first days of school."  Its a great book that really does help teachers understand that the first day of school is actually the day that is the foundation to the rest of the school year.  One of the things that it talks about is to start off with making sure the students understand their boundaries.  If students don't understand the limits in the class then they could end up walking all over us as the teacher.  Another thing the talk about is how to present yourself.  If you present yourself in a professional way then you will be treated like a professional.  Students see their parents dressing up for their jobs every day, so  why shouldn't the teachers do the same?
Also something that struck me in this book is to be positive about your job! If your not happy about what you are teaching then the students aren't going to be happy learning it.  And this creates a bad environment in the classroom then there will be no learning taking place.  If teachers are positive, students are positive and so are their parents.
Lastly this book taught me to be a leader and an example to students and not a friend.  Doesn't mean don't be friendly but when you are on a friend basis they may ask favors of you that you may not be able to do because you are a teacher.  This may cause a bad feeling in the student/teacher relationship and that also damages the learning cycle.