Humility

I think, above all else, that this trip has (already) taught me about humility. For sure, I'm no rocket science (barely smart enough to teach 6th grade!), but I never really had too many troubles in school. And in my own classroom, it has often times been difficult for me to understand why students don't grasp some concepts (Math would be the exception here). Now, as I'm about to finish my lunch break and go back in for hours four and five, I sit here and ponder...

1. Why education thinks it's OK to speed ahead on to a new concept when students didn't understand/have time to understand the last one...

2. Why I think I can effectively "teach" students by standing in front of the room and spewing information every day? (in my defense, I try not to do this, but you have to sometimes)

3. What some of my students must have thought about coming into class knowing that they were just going to "fail" like every other day. And how must they have felt while sitting there for HOURS not getting it...

Right now, I'm feeling a little upset at myself for all the times I've been short with my students when they've had problems understanding. And now I know why so many of them never bothered to try. It's way too easy to give in to the "fail" mentality, and, it's way easier. All I know is that after this trip, I'll never look at teaching and learning the same...