Exit Slip (Sept 14) - Frank McCourt's Inquiry

I feel Frank McCourt viewed teacher and student inquiry as two vessels that moved as one. He had to inquire about being a good teacher in order to help his students make their own inquiries in life and education. He felt that if teachers were not learning they were not teaching. I really appreciated this because I feel as teachers we are trying to teach life long learning to our students, so if we are not continuing to embrace learning ourselves, how can we expect our students to be motivated to learn as well. He also believed that it was important to be open and honest with students, "take the mask off". He felt that by being transparent, students could learn to trust and relate to teachers as interesting human beings, which could hopeful aid in facilitating their learning and inquiry. Combining these two ideas, I feel that if we are honest and open with our students and display our own learning during classes, we can set an example for our students. Show them that even as teachers we are curious, we still enjoy learning and are constantly inquiring. I hope this may inspire them to be curious and inquire for themselves. I also feel this is exactly what learning is about, identifying gaps in knowledge, asking questions and learning from them.
Another thing he mentioned was how teachers can learn a lot from their students. In his case when he arrived in America he had to learn about the "life of the American teenager". I feel there are two sides to this, teachers can learn new things from their students like customs, culture or pop-culture, but they can also learn about each individual student personally, which is more important to me. Taking an interest in your students and getting to know them is important because each student has their own story and taking the time to know them can be valuable to both the teacher and the student. It will be beneficial to the student because they have the ability to develop trust in their teacher and it may in turn make them more comfortable asking questions and reaching out to teachers whether it be academic or personal. Having this connection gives them a confidant they can lean on during times of need, which is good for the student's mental health. However, it is also beneficial to the teacher because it makes reaching the student easier since they have already built that trust, but also it has the potential to help teachers in their assessments and planning for lessons. If they understand and know how their students think, or even understand their challenges, they can customize their teaching to the students style of learning. In this way, teachers can inquire and learn how to be better teachers for each individual class, since no two are exactly the same.