Chapter 1: Establish Ties to Discover Truth

1a. On page 10 of this reading assignment, Tomlinson states that “teachers who are willing to establish ties with students discover new depths of truth each day...” What does this mean to you?


The word that jumps out at me is “establish”. By having such a strong word it tells me that ties with my students will not just fall into place. This is something that I will have to work at, and only after working to know them and understand their differences, then will I comprehend their truths and truly understand who they are. Once a bridge has been built with those ties then the continuous truths will come about, this is when you will realize new things daily because the student will feel comfortable.

Wild Flowers as a Metaphor

While looking for uniqueness within the picture it was really surprising how the greenery in the back added to the picture instead of diminishing the brightness of the actual flowers. Just like a classroom there will be students who really shine like the colorful flowers, but there will also be students who don’t stand out as much like the greenery in the background. Those students also don’t take away from the classroom instead they add to the rich individuality that will be present. If one student is more prominent than another it doesn’t make that student more important. Each student in a classroom is different, just like every flower on a hill is different. There are never two that are exactly alike. This is the same in a classroom, that’s what makes teaching a challenge and a reward! By each difference a classroom can be made as a whole to learn and teach one another.