Tonya Hendricks Blog 1 Children’s Success as Readers and Writers: It’s the Teacher’s Beliefs That Make the Difference.

I believe that teachers practice the art of teaching students like that of a painter painting a picture.  The painter paints the portrait from his/her own belief of what the painting should look like.  The beauty of the painting comes from the painter’s decisions of how to paint.  The piece he or she chooses or the colors that are used to paint the picture all reflect the ideas and beliefs of the painter.  Likewise, teachers practice the art of teaching based on what they believe will be most effective for their student’s overall learning and success. However, this writing is a reminder that what a teacher “thinks,” is the best, is still based on their individual opinion of how students should learn.   The text demonstrates two teachers with very different mind sets when it comes to the “practice,” of teaching.  Both teachers had the best of intentions when it came to teaching Matt however, due to the difference in learning environments, Matt demonstrated totally different level of abilities in his behavior and learning. This text is a reminder to me that my students will not always learn by the way I teach them.  As I continue to teach I must remember to allow my students to guide me in the way I teach.  I have to allow flexibility in my curriculum in order to give my students the freedom to engage and learn in their own individual way.  I believe students learn through self-expression and self-discovery of knowledge.  As a teacher my goal is to allow my students the opportunity to learn and to paint their own pictures.