Confidence Building

After reading about Jose La Luz, I believed that he had a self proclaimed opinion of himself. I often had to deal with this in school when learning mathematics. I was constantly being told I wasn’t good enough in math; so therefore, I felt that I wasn’t good enough and I never tried to do better. Having a self proclaimed attitude can be detrimental to a child. On the other hand, instigating self assurance in children can be life changing. Chapter 1 gives an example of this productive technique - specifically, in the section where Ayers responded to the child by having him teach something to the class that he was interested in.

Reading this part of the chapter reminded me of my fourth grade teacher, who knew that self-esteem is crucial to a child´s success in learning. I was a very shy child and had a passion for singing for as long as I could remember. Throughout my adolescent school years, I never got good grades and can remember being made fun of many times for not knowing answers to questions often asked in class. During recess time between classes, I would often sing as a way of playing. I remember one particular time, as I was singing my teacher came over and told me how great of a singer I was. With no confidence as a young child, this was a praise that I was not used to. Looking back, I remember that ever since my teacher had noticed I was good at singing, I tried to excel in music class. Throughout the rest of my schooling, I always tried to take music or choir, since this would give me a sense of self-worth. Having my teacher point out something I could do well, opened up a confidence in me that I had never felt before then. Chapter 1 highlights the importance of positive experiences in the process of learning while pointing out that “… learning is a process of active discovery and that learning depends on concrete experiences and contact with primary sources if it is to be lasting, meaningful, and, most important, if it is to lead to further growth and learning.” (Pg. 15).

Ayers writes about a classroom that he once visited where a teacher proudly announces they are where they should be in the math text book. He states, “She was, indeed, on page 257, but several students were clearly lost, a few were actually sleeping, and virtually every student in that class was failing math.” (Pg. 32). For me, math is one of the most difficult subjects. I constantly struggled with math, and it´s a subject that I need to explore from so many different angles. In addition, having to be where board guidelines wants students to be is stress that is added to not only the students but the teachers as well.

Being a learner myself, I know that there are various ways that students learn. If state board guidelines require students to be at a certain point during the year, how are teachers suppose to reach every student´s learning abilities? Teaching and learning takes time and many different ways need to be approached in order for different learning styles to grasp a subject. Additionally, I think it´s important to help children get on the path to being successful in learning all subjects.

“Teaching is questioning, instructing, advising, counseling, organizing, assessing, guiding, goading, showing, managing, modeling, coaching, disciplining, prodding, preaching, persuading, proselytizing, listening, interacting, nursing, doing and making, discovering and inspiring.” ( Pg. 17). I love this quote even though I think teaching is all this and more. I believe that teaching is a learning experience in itself that cannot be put into words.


　Ayers, W. (2010). To teach; the journey of a teacher. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.