Learning Letter

This quarter has been pretty rough on me as far as work load goes. Despite the larger-than-normal work load for this quarter, I can look back and be proud of what I have accomplished. The book talks were one of my favorite things I found in this class, merely because it is interesting to hear about all these books that I could read in the future, use in my classroom, or recommend a student to read one. I also found it valuable to take one of my favorite books (Redwall) and use it for a book talk along with exploring the options for using it in teaching.

                I found the mini-lesson to be a great boost to my confidence in myself as a future educator. Every once in a while I get bogged down with school and wonder whether or not I would be a good teacher. However, standing up in front of my peers, taking on the role of teacher felt more natural and I feel as though that mini-lesson was the strongest part of this quarter.

                The unit plan, on the other hand, kicked my butt. It is these sorts of projects that make me question whether or not I would like to be a teacher. I know that I, along with everyone else, felt like it was the most tough, yet rewarding project I’ve ever had to complete. I know that my planning skills are not quite up to par, but in doing this activity, I was able to see where my weaknesses are and explore ways in which to improve them.

                I really enjoyed getting into a big circle and having discussions in this class. I found the reading about the “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” and the “discussion in a Democratic Society” to be the most helpful in my development as a teacher. I want to be able to recognize when I am employing the “banking” system and to involve my students more in their learning, rather than me just giving them facts to memorize. I also would like to incorporate more group discussions into my future classroom after reading the previous article and the model that ENGL 493 set for how discussions should look.

                My participation in this course was less than what I could have done. This has influenced me in how I think about myself as a teacher because I know that I will need to stay on top of things when my students are relying on me. This quarter has been quite the wakeup call for the procrastinator inside me and I will use this experience as a reminder to further improve my time management skills.