One thing that has crossed my mind in the past was whether I would be able to develop a perfect set of unit plans for each of my courses and stick to that through the course of my career or at least until the curriculum changed. I see now that if I want to be the best teacher I can possibly be, this can NEVER be my attitude.
When things aren’t working, I must reflect on why, get creative and communicate with my colleagues. When things are going well, I must challenge myself to make things even better.
To be a reflective teacher, I must know my students. If I truly care for my students, as Henderson argues, I must, “[take] the time to help all students discover their individual inclinations and capitalize on them.” How can I relate the subject matter to my students’ past experiences and personal purposes? In asking this question, I can keep myself away from the idea that my students are simply “vessels into which the teacher pours knowledge.” It is important to note that Henderson states that we must help “all students.” Is it possible to practice an ethic of caring but ignore the troublesome students or possibly overlook students who seem to be doing fine without us? This might be difficult but I believe that you cannot practice an ethic of caring if you pick and choose who you will get to know based on how pleasant they are in class.
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