Reflective Reading List An Artifact for Standard #9 During the course of my senior year, I picked up more books for self-pleasure since for most of my life, I had barely read anything more than the newspaper, Bible, and required class readings. Out of those, I loved reading the Bible and Calvin and Hobbes the best. Why? Well, you can always take something away from both of them that applies to life, and frankly, I never got much into fiction. The Australian school system is not rigorous on Shakespeare or poetry either—something I was grateful for, and I spent most of my reading on books about athletics, military sciences, and survival manuals. It was a very narrow and consistent combination, not to mention the variances I would have to read about transportation, flight, and vehicles. If that wasn't enough, I merged into some Marvel Comics for a while, reading up on Spiderman, Batman, and the Fantastic Four to get me a dose of fiction too. The Senior Year Resolution As I began Senior Year, I realized that out of the reading from the last year that was voluntary on my part, most of it was for the purpose of character-building. I had read more books on relationships, marriage, parenting, psychology, and families than ever, and as I researched for my Honors Capstone, I earned more reading from online articles and resources. Google Books also shared its wealth of knowledge, and friends also recommended great reading articles for my interest too. I also remembered that when I was in ROTC, there was the Professional Reading List from the US Army Chief of Staff. This was another incentive to read—if it's good enough for the army, it's good enough for Choi! So indeed, I began with some new reading this year to boost my morale and character, hoping to learn lessons from these books so that they might influence my role as a teacher. In the Company of Heroes, Michael J. Durant Published 2003, New American Library, ISBN 9780451219930
As a starter to the new year, I had watched Black Hawk Down and seen a remarkable story of leadership in high pressure situations. The reality of that story parallels a high school classroom: lots of young men learning from the instruction from their mentors by way of experience. Since I usually read this book on the metro going home after a day of student teaching, it would give me a chance to reflect on one core theme: decisions. Did I make the correct decisions? Which decision do I already regret, and why? How did I end up at that answer? As I followed Michael Durant through his journey of flying helicopters for the army, I reflected upon my own journey of helping these children earn their wings too. Durant’s big idea that stuck in my mind was this concept that he called the passengers sitting in the back of his chopper “customers” so that with every mission, it was in their interest first. This caught on to me too, and I ended up treating my students as customers, for they are the reason why I woke up in the morning and why I can rest at night.
The Five Love Languages of Teenagers, Gary Chapman Published 2003, Lifeway Church Resources, ISBN 063301981X
I had read The Five Love Languages two years ago—an original that sparked this Chapman series of amazing books. This book speaks particularly to teenagers and those working around them—parents, educators, and peers. It is based off the five ways that teenagers perceive and receive love—words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service, and physical touch. Having read the original, I was able to further relate these ideas to how my teenagers dwelled in the classroom and at home. For instance, I knew that certain kids would need a handshake as an affirmation, while others preferred words of praise. Generally, students who came before or after school, and during lunch time, would be seeking quality time. Our devotion to them by removing ourselves from an email or lunch showed that we indeed cared for the student. Others would go on a high after we fulfilled a little favor for them, perhaps as simple as handing them a stapler or grading their homework with words of praise too: Great! Stupendous! You’re a star at this! Ultimately, a read that softened my heart towards students! In-N-Out Burger: A Behind-the-Counter Look at the Fast-Food Chain That Breaks All the Rules, Stacy Perman Published 2009, Collins Publishers, ISBN 9780061346712
“Keep it real simple. Do one thing and do it the best you can.” —Harry Snyder, co-founder of In-N-Out Burger This is perhaps the most unusual choice for reading that could relate to student teaching, but Harry Snyder’s words of truth are perfect, and if the In-N-Out corporate model can work in the culinary world, why can’t it work in the classroom? After all, we usually look to business models that can adapt to the classroom, such as Professor David Sadker’s favoritism of the unique Southwest Airlines model. Snyder’s remarks may make an educator reel, especially since we have diverse learners and multiple strengths in a classroom, but once the reader realizes that he is talking about doing [the one thing] the best, we can then understand how teachers can help others to do their unique ability in the best way. Indeed, it is not about teachers providing one method for everybody to follow, but encouraging our students to put their finest efforts into their foremost endeavor. I just hope that endeavor is something close to mathematics…
The Man in the Mirror: Solving the 24 Problems Men Face, Patrick Morley Published 2000, Zondervan, ISBN 978-0310234937
Recommended to me by a fellow math and secondary education teacher candidate, there were several themes in this fantastic book that drove me to be stronger on student teaching. In the heat of many situations, men tend to add to the stress that is already present, and the classroom provides such an environment. I cannot hide that there were a few trying times when the overwhelming stress cut a short fuse in me. However, in tandem with In the Company of Heroes, this book firmly demonstrates that real heroes—whether they are teachers, firefighters, or warriors, all have one thing in common: they are in control of the situation, not vice versa. A hint of theology in this book also brings on philosophical implications, which reinforced or challenged my educational theories and teaching models, but I found it mainly agreeable for teachers who strive to factor in the right balance between themselves, their family, and their students. While it is written primarily for men, the friend who recommended it to me is a female teacher, and she too, took away a greater understanding of her own role in the classroom. Did anybody else see the irony of reflecting while reading The Man in the Mirror? For Men Only, Shaunti and Jeff Feldhahn Published 2006, Multnomah Books, ISBN 9781590525722
After writing For Women Only, Shaunti Feldhahn and her husband penned For Men Only which isn’t exactly a sequel since, as you might have imagined, is written for an entirely different audience. However, this series isn’t about gender stereotypes or sexism. Instead, it has helped countless folks understand not only friends and relatives of the opposite gender, but themselves! For instance, before I read this, I never knew that it was possible to think about more than one thing at a time. Sure I had heard about compartmentalization, but thought it was only for those psychology majors to talk about. It turns out that after reading FMO, then asking as many female friends as I could find, it turns out that men just don’t think the same way women do. The scientific answer is a larger corpus callosum for women, which transmits more information between both hemispheres of the brain, but in the classroom, this just exhibits chaos for me. Hence, FMO helped me understand my order of thinking, as well as that of my friends and family. It earned more rewards in the classroom when I began to pivot my conversations with the students
The Way of the Shepherd: 7 Ancient Secrets to Managing Productive People, Kevin Leman and William Pentak Published 2004, Zondervan, ISBN 9780310250975
Again, this is a corporate management book but it is orientated more for those in leadership positions, similar to the John Maxwell books that we read to prepare for the Army. Motivation is not what it prescribes, but a genuine care for those that we are entrusted with. This is written as a tale between a corporate manager learning business lessons from his professor, who happens to be a shepherd. During the course of the book, the manager vents frustration even though he voluntarily agrees to go through a grueling shepherding course with the professor that mimics how one can take care of employees in the office. From building fences to shearing sheep, the narrator, who now tells the entire story as a flashback while in his CEO office, guides every reader to individualize and personalize their treatment of customers, employees, and friends. While it is meant for those in corporate management, this book is easily adapted to everyday relationships—even those without a hierarchy. But between myself and the students, it let me see them through new eyes of compassion so that I could care for them better.
La Santa Biblia/The Holy Bible This needs neither an introduction nor ISBN, but let’s just say that it is the best sixty-six books written for us to reflect on. Mine is bound into a leather cover, in Spanish and English, with another copy in Chinese. It also is readily accessible online, in the Library of Congress, and most importantly, in my sound mind. Although I am not a fan of seeing it as the sole text in public schools, the Bible is our standard of God’s word to reflect upon and live by. President Thomas Jefferson penned, “The Bible is the cornerstone of liberty...students' perusal of the sacred volume will make us better citizens, better fathers, and better husbands." Of course, I see myself as a student too, learning from my students, cooperating teacher, professors, and university supervisor. This is easily the most challenging reading to fulfill Standard #9 because the Bible always gives us more opportunities to grow professionally, personally, and piously. During student teaching, many proverbs resounded in my head during the day, and perhaps this is the best to sum up the entirety of my endeavors at Bethesda-Chevy Chase: A wise man's heart guides his mouth, and his lips promote instruction Proverbs 16:23
A Resolution of Reflection During Student Teaching, this reading was not only part of my personal campaign to grow in character, but also to strengthen my own self-evaluation and reflection skills. I have kept a journal for several years now, and that is where the bulk of my reflection is recorded. Sometimes, it helps to go through an email inbox or Facebook conversations to see what other thoughts I have had in the past that have either developed on, or are deleted.
The two photos above show me attempting to read after my sophomore year, during a summer session at the Focus on the Family Institute. I can honestly say that I had never read so much in my life before, but all the other students there had all read intensely for their university courses; hence it was a huge change for me. Going from doing a few pages of math homework per night, along with no more than a dozen pages of reading, to reading in excess of a hundred pages a night is like the difference between climbing over a small rock and scaling a cliff, which is precisely what I was waiting for in the second picture. That being said, all the reading I did that summer was beneficial, reflective, and I got more out of it than the sleep I lost. With student teaching, there was no rationed reading time and sleep was always a priority by midnight. My eyes were usually tired after a day of teaching and waking up at 5am, so reading was not consistent nor long-lived. What I did get out of those more flexible and short bursts of reading was priceless though. The books listed above are but a few of the many influences I had during my time at Bethesda-Chevy Chas High School that have motivated me and spurred me on. Some, like The Man in the Mirror, have investigative questions to help me think and ponder my place in life and what role I have in the world of these children. Others, like the very fun In-N-Out Burger book, illustrate a strategy that does not necessarily always work in a classroom, but the principles and values behind it are what I seek out most. Ultimately, I do joke with students that math is the most important language in the world. We joke about how nerdy Mr. Choi can be, reading math books as he goes to bed. When all the laughter is done, the reality shines through and no one—not even I—can refute that reading is good not only for the mind, but also for the soul.