Quote 1:
"If teaching is indeed caring profession then the caring involves helping, encouraging, admonishing, praising, prodding, and worrying about individual students and classes."
I think caring for students plays a huge role in students - not only in their learning, but also in how they socialize and interact with other students and teachers. As I can recall, even now as a BEd student, it really motivates me to learn something new because my teacher really cares about me and how I can possibly achieve greater things in life. If I see a teacher is trying to really get to know us, the students, and not just being a bossy teacher (a "robot") who just constantly dictate us on what to do all the time, it really motivates me, in turn, to get to know the teacher and the subject (content/materials) she or he is teaching. The "human" aspect of teaching is very important here. As long as students know that teachers are always there for them, to help and to encourage (even with a bit of constructive criticism), students do experience "positive experiences".
Quote 2:
"Recognition is inextricably intertwined with selfhood and personal identity. And self-identity is the realization of the tension between being of self and the becoming of self, between who we are and who and what we might become."
I recently read a book called "The True Diary of A Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie. It is about a young Native American adolescent from the Spokane Reservation. The struggles this young boy goes through, especially in an educational institution (such as his school), is just as troublesome and complicated as things that are happening in his home (and his social life). The young boy has big dreams - of making it big, whether it is in his personal life or in his academic/social life. Because he knew that attending a school on the Reservation is not going to get him anywhere, and his Reservation teacher knew that too, so his teacher told him to aim for his dream by leaving this school. It's a big step and a big commitment to leave this place and go somewhere different, foreign, new. However, the book ends with him "making it big" at his new school where he actually mattered to everyone - his classmates and his teachers. He made it big while being on the school's basketball team; he made it big and excelled in class by doing the things he likes. He was given the opportunity to be himself, to not be afraid to speak his mind. The message of "self identity" and "becoming of self" is so important here.
Quote 3:
"What distinguishes practice from theory is not that practice applies thought or concepts technically to some real thing in the world upon which it acts. Rather, the phenomenology of practice involves a different way of knowing the world. [...] Theory "thinks" the world, practice "grasps" the world."
This quote speaks volume! I am a strong believer in applying theories and what we learned into real life. Although not every student understands theory to their best abilities, some may struggle with theories - like me (it takes me longer to understand theory, but less time to apply the theories) - while others capture theories quickly. I think it is a good idea for students to understand theories behind certain concepts as they can apply the theory to many applicable areas. Theories are fundamental basis for many things that we study in life. Incorporating that into the class and be able to transition between theory and practice is important in the classroom. This engages students with critical thinking and learning skills, the teachers can gain new perspectives on how students think and reason, and parents may be surprised by their child's ability to comprehend advanced things - this maturation in their cognitive development may increase.
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