Adapting what we know

This morning got me thinking how we have to adapt what we know in order to progress. This can relate to our academic writing for our MA studies, our teaching practice. It made me think about how different my practice is now compared to at the start of my MA last September. I wrote in module 1 how we learn but don't necessarily know that we are learning, or we know how to do something and we learnt how to do it through life rather than a course. On reflection the learning process this past year has been huge.

I had a conversation with some of my first year students yesterday and we talked about how they are struggling with a particular teacher who is horrible to them and they dread going to their lessons. First of all I would hate to be that teacher knowing that they didn't want to come to my class because of how I treat them, secondly I am glad they felt able to tell me, this was not my business but they felt that they were able to tell me and knew that I would listen. Our role as teachers is valuable, we affect the students lives in so many ways- I would genuinely hate for it to be a bad way. I could have been that horrible teacher but I've adapted the way that I teach because of what I know and what I have learned, so their bad situation made me reflect(on the long drive home) and it made me realise that yes I am adapting, changing what I know. I know that I support them in the best possible way because I treat them as human beings, not just a name. One student commented that I always ask them how they are at the start of the lesson- that's because I care and I want them to be ok. Would I have changed so much if I hadn't made the decision to complete my MA? Probably not. I'm not saying that we all have to go out and study but we all need to do something to help us progress.