Life Long Learning

Today we had the opportunity of hearing from two established teachers about their use of Morning Meeting in their classroom.
It was wonderful hear that Morning Meeting was at the forefront, successful, in especially aiding students growth with social skills and communication.
They discussed the differences about the use of Morning Meeting in the younger and older grades and some of the things they said I'd like to remember.
They told us that with the younger grades you have to be more direct, precise and understanding of the short attention span these younger children have. When sharing stories they are kept to short sentences or even one word answers to aid the teacher in keeping Morning Meeting to the time it should be and also helping kids be precise with their answers.

I had a thought come to my mind which focused on how life changing Morning Meeting really can be. I think back to the days in my elementary school where I was afraid to be myself and give answers when called on. I feel that Morning Meeting will help bridge those gaps of self confidence for students who are a bit timid and overwhelmed by the idea of answering questions, even simple ones about themselves.

Referring back to the two teachers. They said something that stood out to me which went along the lines of this: "I wasn't as confident as I wanted to be in teaching math or language arts, but I was so set up and prepared for Morning Meeting that it didn't matter. If I was fully prepared and engaged within at least this 20 minutes period of the day, everything else would be ok"
I'd like to echo that comment made by saying this, I am terrified at the prospect of student teaching in these next few weeks. I'm afraid that I won't be fully prepared or be able to remember to do all that has been taught to me. I know that there are others in my cohort who understand concepts much deeper than I do at this point and may be better prepared for this experience. But I also have to remember how far I have come as a teacher and a student of the teaching profession. I know things now, that I had no idea existed, much less would apply to a classroom one day. And I have so many things that will guide me in my experience and continually learning and preparing to teach.

In a way, my own learning is being differentiated by what I know and am continuing to learn. I, myself, as a student am being scaffolded towards being a great teacher. I have to remember, that amidst the teachers of the greats that they had to learn, make mistakes, treat those mistakes as opportunities, and love with all their heart and everything worked out. Lessons may crumble, students may misinterpret, and organization may not be my strong point...yet. As long as I continue to learn, and believe what is being taught, and remember that I am a work in progress, all will be well.

Student teaching will be a learning curve.
Integrating Morning Meeting will be a learning curve.
Being myself in front of students will be a learning curve.

If I am going to expect my students to be life long learners, then I should learn how to by one myself.