Reflection Paper: Pull The Next One Up

Growing up I played competitive softball, so my family’s summers were spent driving to ball fields around the United States while I played in tournament after tournament. Playing first base, I always admired the position at the center of the field, the pitcher. It seemed that games could be won and lost based solely on that position. I both craved and shied away from the pressure. As I reflect on my softball days, it seems that the relationship between pitcher and catcher was the single most important factor for a successful team. The pitcher pours her heart out on the mound, but every effort, ball, strike or in the dirt is carefully received by the catcher. When things are going well the catcher catches with a smile, and when they are tough the catcher is there with an encouraging word. Much like the two players I admired most, my teaching philosophy is built around two philosophies: be a role model for students while giving them a choice, and to build and foster relationships.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a role model as, “someone who another …show more content…
This past school year my class had a theme of “Pull the Next One Up” based on The Latin School Belief Film Project. During writing group time the whole purpose was to highlight the strengths that each writer brought to the table in addition to things that they could work on to improve writing. Our hope was that as a class we were pulling the next writer up, so that writer could continue the cycle. Year round I work to build an environment that is filled with trust and nurtures risk-taking. Since starting conferencing with students, I have seen improvement in my students ideas, organization, grammar and literary skills. Conferencing not only makes my students better writers, but helps the class build stronger