Thank you
NTI!
I take this opportunity to
say thank you to the NTI program and my fellow classmates for making me a
better teacher. I had some teaching
experience prior to entering the world of high school and CTE however it was
always with adults. I have taught at the
technical school level and also in hospital systems, but not high school other
than an occasional time or two as a guest. Teaching the younger student is
definitely in my opinion harder to do. The high school student sometimes comes
in with the attitude that “I have to be here and don’t want to be.” or “The counselor
put me here.” or that “My parents said I had to take this class.” The
difference with technical level teaching is that the student has invested money
into their education therefore has a more vested interest in learning. I find
that in teaching high school students there is not “currency” to motivate them
other than those few students that do care about their GPA. This presented a challenge
for me that almost made me give up last year. I came into the system just
before the holidays in 2011, and by the time the school year ended in May of last
year, I had decided I would not come back.
The subject of taking teaching courses through NTI came up and I thought
why not give it one more try. I am glad
I did! I have learned how to deal with the high school learner by not trying to
change their attitudes and beliefs but by changing my own. I had to take an inventory of what was
working and not working for me and integrate what I have been taught by NTI
over the past year. What I have learned in my opinion is invaluable and will
guide me to being more successful this year and every year I stay with
teaching. So, having said this, thank you
Dr. Burns, Dr. Montrois and Ms. Chillis for sharing your expertise and advice.
Thank you to each of my fellow NTI classmates as well. I have learned so much
from your shared experiences and shared learning! I think that the NTI has given me a gift –
Never Teach Insecurely (again).
I am glad that I decided to NTI earlier in my career rather than wait anymore. Sometimes I wish I had some of the strategies that we have learned last year in my first year. Going in to the classroom with no experience and no strategies was rough. I can tell that my time at NTI has helped improve my teaching practice.
ReplyDeleteI think it should be required that within 1 year NTI should be started. I also taught at the technical college level but 2 1/2 months after being with high school students, I knew I needed much more that what I had (which wasn't much, I've learned). I just hung up with a friend/neighbor and we were discussing our newest school in Douglas County and academic teaching in general. I began telling her about some of the things we have learned such as Project Based Learning and Scorecards, etc. She said she wished all teachers could culminate their last year of study by going through NTI. I don't know how people do it without having gone to the location we have. I truly count it a blessing and understand why I was told I had to take it and where. Surely, all of our classmates are saying...Amen (or nodding in agreement) to your post. :)
ReplyDeleteI love this post especially your acronym for NTI! I am very glad that I experienced this program, and even thought I can not honestly say that I will continue teaching, I am too indebted to Dr.B, Dr. M, and Ms. Chillis for showing me how its done. I thank all of my classmates as well, you all are some of the smartest, most compassionate people that I have ever met.
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