Line: STOP, LOOK, LISTEN

We welcome guest blogger Jerry Blumengarten speaking on the value of paying attention to the novelties of the real world.

When I was in my twenties I used to get confused each time the telephone rang. I had to stop and look around to see where I was in order to figure out what I was going to say to the caller. Then I had to really concentrate on what each caller wanted. This was because I wore so many different hats. At this juncture in my life not only was I teaching & doing the early morning phone job in school, but I was serving in the U.S. Army, working part time in a nursing home, ushering concerts at the local college and taking graduate courses. Some examples of what I had to say when answering the telephone were: Good Morning Berriman Junior High School; Headquarter Battery, 5^th of the 51^st Field Artillery Sergeant Blumengarten speaking; Good Afternoon, DeWitt Nursing Home, how can I direct your call? …

When I write or edit educational activity materials for the utility industry (I have been doing this for over 30 years!) and the first artwork & copy is done the booklet is sent out for review by teachers & utility personnel throughout the country. Sometimes only one teacher will make a statement about a page that everyone else likes and I take time to stop and analyze that person’s point. In many cases they were absolutely correct and it is something I did not even realize. I also enjoy working with children who are my all time favorite reviewers. When they struggle with something I see a necessary change that makes a significant difference.

Now, here I am in my sixties I still have to stop, look and listen or read what people are saying on the many different chats on Twitter. Not only do I participate in a lot of them I am also part of the wonderful #edchat team and moderate quite a few of these chats. I have also had the honor of being a guest moderator on #ntchat, #ptchat, #gtchat, #engsschat (I put that together and then moderated a joint chat of #engchat and #sschat – Next one is Labor Day!) and #elemchat (I am the resource person of this chat). Occasionally I do put in the wrong hashtag. It is very easy when you are chatting to not really digest and give each person’s tweet the attention it deserves especially when you are moderating. When the chat concludes I try to read over the mentions I receive, review the chat archive and respond when I can.

As teachers it is important that we stop, look around and listen to our students and recognize the individual needs of our students. It is important to remember that students learn differently. We have to stop and figure out the best ways for each of our students to learn. When teaching or working with students we should stop especially when the child does not get what you are trying to do. We should figure out a way to present the material or help them find the best way to learn. It is very important that we listen to our students and children. We can learn a lot from them and should utilize their expertise.

Jerry Blumengarten is the creator of cybraryman.com, an educational website providing study skills and advice for students of all ages. Jerry is a talented writer as well as educator, having spent over 30 years with the Culver Company and worked to integrate education in New York City with Open Doors and with the New York Board of Education.

Thank you, Jerry, for this wonderful discussion! Here is hoping that your ideals are achieved and that we may hear from you across the web well into the future!