Nick Robinson

4/5/16
EDL 318A B
Reading Reflection 4: Teaching Again
Teaching Again is the story of a college professor of education that returns to the
classroom to teach a semester of high school english. The professor; Dr. Poetter,
expected to be able to easily and seamlessly return to the classroom to teach high
schoolers again, but the experience didn't always fit this description. The material also
provides verification for the value of a teachers most valuable tool; perseverance and
being able to learn through reflection of ones actions.
Dr. Poetters description of the beginning of working with his new students
reminded me of when I first began my classroom observation this semester. I was very
nervous and unsure of myself before it began, and at first made several expected
mistakes. Often, students see substitutes, student teachers, and the like as invaders to
their school community, and seek teachers who will stay and care for them. Dr. Poetters
early experience is defined by this attitude, made worse by his exceedingly high
expectations as a college professor.
Dr. Poetters first hint of success came when he transformed a teacher-centric
educational style into a student-centric one. The notion of student voice is something I
have determined to be absolutely critical to a positive learning environment when
present and the cause of a disastrous classroom when absent. Students are smarter
and more responsible than they are often given credit for, and when they are not in
control of their education conflicts can occur. I am thoroughly convinced that the cause

of the vast majority of behavioral problems lie with the teacher and not the student, and
both my field experiences as well as Dr. Poetters account confirm the viability of this
idea.
A fundamental idea in education is the zone of proximal development, which is
the optimal challenge that should be provided for students in order to maximize gains.
Given too small of a challenge; students will become bored, but when given too much of
a challenge; students will quickly become overwhelmed. This was a significant mistake
made by Dr. Poetter when he tried to have his students write their own poems soon
after examining notable works of poetry. Dr. Poetter found that students simply were
unable to make this jump on their own, but instead require a structure to help get them
there. One has to be consistent in their classroom requirements, luckily the students will
without a doubt make this known when it occurs.
Another aspect of teaching that Dr. Poetters writing got me thinking about was
the importance of getting to know your students; their hobbies and interests, what they
read, what they watch, who their friends are, whether they have a job after school or
not. In a class I am currently observing, there is a student that my cooperating teacher
declared has always been difficult to motivate. However, I quickly discovered through a
brief conversation with the student that he is usually just confused on the material and
the teacher remains unaware that this has occurred. After this experience, I made it a
point to sit next to him on days when other students were working quietly on something
and go through the material at a pace that he is comfortable with. After a few days with
this, I was very happy with the progress he was making, and I became overjoyed when
he began to have the confidence to answer questions in front of the class. I noticed that

when this happened, he looked to me seemingly looking for approval from me. I
returned the gesture with a smile and a thumbs up, and Ill never forget how wonderful
that moment made me feel. It really pays off to converse with your students as much as
possible outside of working with content.
A key aspect of Dr. Poetters success was his access to a network of support
from school administration to his students. Teaching is a difficult job even for seasoned
veterans of the profession, and a solid system of support for new or returning teachers
is crucial to reduce turnover rates. All too often, new teachers become overwhelmed by
the daunting variety of challenges that were never encountered in their coursework or
even student teaching. For this reason, I plan to hang on to the friends and
acquaintances I have had the fortune of crossing paths with in my education so that I
can turn to them for support.
Overall, I found that Teaching Again served as a very relatable and thoughtprovoking account of the teaching profession; reminding me of my challenges and
successes. Additionally, it provided a feeling of confidence in myself; after all if an
experienced college professor of education still finds the field occasionally challenging
that means its ok for me to as well! One just has to be able to learn from every
experience they encounter, whether it is a positive or negative one. Additionally, a
teacher has to remain aware of the fact that the classroom exists for the benefit of the
students, and should be centered around them and their learning. When all of these
factors are included in the classroom along with a positive support system maintained
by the students and reinforced by the teacher then a high learning potential is likely to
be present.