Blog Post 10

1. Do You Teach or Do You Educate was an amazing video. It told the difference by giving definitions of the words teach and educator. Then went on to say how important that an education was. It was really cool how they sped the tempo up when they started talking about educator because it kind of got you excited and your adrenaline pumping.
 When I enter my profession after I graduate, I want to be looked at as an Educator rather than a Teacher. Being a teacher is all fine and dandy but after watching this video it really puts into perspective what an educator really is. I plan on leading my students to their future and do everything within me to help them succeed not only in the classroom but also in their lives. Educators are people that you can trust and confide in and I want my students to see me in that light. I will try my best to always have an open door policy with my students and their parents so that we may work together to provide an excellent future for their child.

2. Don't Let Them Take The Pencils Home was a very interesting blog post. In this post Gertrude the "School Curriculum Instructional Interventionist Academic Specialist" confronted a teacher, Tom, at her school about letting his students take pencils home. Her argument was that students from low income areas don't use pencils and paper for educational purposes but for entertainment. Her proof to back this statement up is a journal article that says that students who take pencils and paper home from school have lower test scores. Now Tom had a point of view as well. He did not agree with Gertrude and stated that he had started a program with the students and had their parents sign a form that stated it was okay. In this program he foud entertaining ways to help his students learn and keep their attention.
 I believe that it is important as an educator or teacher, whichever you prefer, that we keep our students focused on the task at hand. How we go about doing that is where things get fun. Not all students can just come in and listen to you lecture and understand, but everybody has a way to learn. It might be tough at first to figure it out but once they do things start clicking and they feel good about themselves and want to continue learning. It is important that we keep our students entertained while teaching them. If you do not keep their attention then all of the information we are trying to get across will be lost and they will more than likely be discouraged. Games are a fun way to learn. Yes hangman is educational even if "Gertrude" doesn't think it is. It makes children think and use some deductive reasoning to figure out what the hidden word is. Plus it broadens their vocabulary. All in all I hope that when I get my own classroom I can keep all of my students entertained and educated.