Trevor Butler's Blog

One of the current trends that poses a challenge to me as a future teacher is differentiated instruction. Being a new teacher, you tend to look for the simplest routes, and you would think it would be easier to create one lesson plan for all. Differentiated instruction makes teachers have to change their strategies to meet every student. This is significant in today's educational landscape because students' diverse backgrounds vary. Every student has a unique way of learning that you have to accommodate. It is a teacher's number one duty to provide an equal opportunity for everyone to achieve success. It feels challenging to me because it puts even more pressure on me to make sure my students are set up for success. I have to have a deep understanding of the content being taught and be able to interpret the information for different-minded individuals so they will understand it. It also challenges me to have several different approaches while teaching the same overall conc...

I anticipate my students being different from myself in a few different ways. My generation has mostly grown up with social media, but we still allow time to interact in person. Future generations may fully depend on social media and hinder the importance of interpersonal communication.  Not everyone comes from the same background. I was fortunate enough to be involved in school clubs and sports, strengthening my human interactions. I may end up with students who may not have been given the opportunity to experience the personal connections I did.  I will learn what their lives are like by creating a safe environment and forming close ties with them so they feel comfortable sharing their background and experiences to be able to guide them to success. This starts on the first day of class by showing kindness and engaging in small talk, continuing throughout the year. When students begin to feel comfortable, they begin to open up more. I will also use different self-examination ...

Basketball can be viewed as both a mirror and a window to the students I teach it to. When young minds see how passionate an individual is about a certain topic, they tend to be intrigued. It can cause either a mirror or window effect, depending on how it is interpreted. The mirror metaphor helps one reflect on their own experiences and struggles, helping them improve and succeed in life. Basketball is all about conducting oneself through perseverance. The game did not go to plan? You messed up in a play? You turned the ball over? You did not win? You got hurt? All these scenarios would likely bring out bad character in an individual, but they can look in the "mirror" and "reflect" on how they handled the situation and look for ways they could handle it differently in the future. The window metaphor can offer an experience different from one's own. Witnessing how someone else reacts to a certain situation can also help you decide how you might want to react to ...

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1AK5VSi5lhJJiDvguXQ4rD7HkLmYT9D7GfqOZH_VV6mg/edit?usp=sharing  

I experienced standardized testing through my K-12 years in many different ways. Teachers would change their lesson plans up the week before to run through test prep to get us ready. Their whole demeanor would change. We would come in on test day and grab a #2 pencil and go to our assigned seat. From there we were given a scantron sheet and sat in silence until we filled it out and everyone was finished. I do not remember the names of the tests given throughout my younger years. The PreACT and ACT were the main ones throughout my high school years. Each test made me feel stressed out, anxious, and scared. I believe they caused these emotions because they are such big tests that determine if I may be ready for the next grade level and even what colleges I can apply to due to my ACT score. Every person will have different opinions on the negative aspects of these tests. I believe they cause way too much stress on students and even teachers. Too much stress can cause students to perform ...

Everyone has their own experiences that led them to pursue teaching. I would say that mine was  witnessing  my teachers making sure every kid felt supported.  Whether that support included helping out in the classroom or even outside of the school walls, the teachers were always there.  My teachers were the type to bring snacks for students whose parents may have been struggling financially or going to a funeral for a student that may have  encountered  tragedy. They were always there, and kids  need  that type of constant in their lives at  a young age . I chose teaching because I also know I can make a difference in a child's life.   I only have one concern as of right now. Will  I   ex perience the professional burnout that teachers often face? I do not want to experience it because it will affect the way I teach, which in turn will affect my students' success. My students deserve the best version of myself so that I can alw...