Symbol 1: The Eye
The eye is meant to #symbolize the common phrase that teachers should “have eyes in the back of their heads” to monitor their classrooms and maintain control. In order to be consistent with my reaction to and redirection of student behavior, I should always be scanning the room to be fully aware of the entire classroom. When teachers lose awareness of what’s going on when they turn their back, it becomes more difficult to maintain respectful control because they may not know exactly how disruptions occur. Although I can’t physically grow eyes on the back of my head, I can continue practicing full awareness of the classroom.
Symbol 2: The Feather
The feather is a symbol of wisdom and connection or communication with celestial beings. In many Native American tribes and other indigenous cultures across the world, feathers are sacred possessions that are carefully taken care of. As a symbol of an improvement of my teaching, I am relating it to gaining wisdom as an educator and using my experiences to inform and improve my teaching practice. It also #symbolizes my goal to improve communication with students, other faculty, and parents.
Symbol 3: My Location
Overall, I can improve my teaching by continually working on being present in the classroom and establishing your presence as the teacher so that students give you their attention and respect. The location dot #symbolizes the ease and immediacy of knowing your own location or finding a location. Even though you can be physically present in a place and time, you might not necessarily be mentally and emotionally present. As I get used to the intense schedule of my match-up teacher, I want to always be aware of where I am and be fully present as a trusted teacher in the classroom.
For these symbols, I chose to use a sketching and collage method to represent them because of the simple and immediate nature of the processes. Similar to last week, I am still in the process of learning the basics and gradually easing in to teaching, which reminds me of simpler art making processes like sketching and cutting/pasting for collage.