Learning Letter

I feel like I grew a lot in this class. I have had a lot of doubts as to whether or not I will make a good teacher, but have come to understand that it is a profession that takes time, dedication, research, reflection and practice. The best teachers I have chatted about my nerves and doubts with have said it took them years (even decades) to feel confident and comfortable as an educator.

The classwork was incredibly useful. The book-talk was fun and informative. I was able to read a YA book I had been interested in for along time (and in turn realized I really like YA books) and get in-depth details and ideas on books that could be valuable in the classroom, but ones I may not have time to read in the near future. As far as my own book talk goes on Wonder by R.J. Palacio, I could have been more prepared. I did not have the right handout prepared & copied and that threw off a lot of my plans for the talk. However, I feel that I presented the value of the text well. The mini-lesson was inspiring. I saw a lot of what I hope to be as a teacher in my fellow classmates, which makes me nervous come graduation & job hunting (haha) but encourages me to be better and explore new strategies. I liked being able to take a chance with a lesson's topic and teaching strategies in a low-pressure environment. I trusted my classmates would give me the constructive feedback I needed to improve and grow. The unit plan was challenging, but valuable. The thought process, research, preparation, planning and organization that needs to go into an entire unit that is meaningful learning for students is not a small undertaking. There is so much more to teaching than just Googling worksheets and handing out grades. The unit plan showed me that effective teaching starts long before the lesson is actually presented to students. On a personal note, it also showed me my continued weakness for time management...I really need to get that handled.

I enjoyed experiencing the flipped classroom model, as well. Reading about the theories, concepts and discussion for ideas before class helped solidify the ideas more clearly. Having time to process it all on my own made me more confident to share in class and seemed to keep whole class discussions moving. I really liked the reading on the value of discussion in the classroom. I am learning as I go through my practicum that students really thrive when given the chance to share their ideas. I loved the Circle of Voices. I hate being put on the spot and would appreciate the silent time to create some bullet points. I also love the idea of everyone getting a chance to speak. I hate seeing someone about to make a great point get bulldozed over by the class Chatter King/Queen. Hatful of Quotes was another favorite. I think it gives even the most unprepared student a chance to form concrete ideas on the subject. It also solidifies major themes for the class and could be super helpful for identifying key quotes in key passages. In regards to assessment, I have always favored the portfolio and was glad to see that research supports the value of them for students. I was glad to have been introduced to Freire and his ideas on student oppression and changing the way we approach presenting information. His problem-solving-problem-posing ideas encourage students to dig deeper and teachers to foster deeper discussion. It was also helpful to see two sides of the same coin. Gallagher and Tovani present differing ideas on reading, but both want to focus on encouraging students to read freely and read deeply. They both had ideas that can be beneficial in the classroom. Gallagher inspired me to make sure students have time to read and get into the flow. Tovani had great ideas on note-taking and recording ideas as we read. There are a lot of research and ideas to pour through in regards to education. I am grateful to at least have a starting point to help me improve.

I started the class really overwhelmed. Teaching felt like an unattainable goal, that goal being one I wasn't so sure I was going to be good at even with the paper in my hand. So, after the research, practice and time in a real middle school classroom I feel more aligned with my future goals. I have seen that teaching takes practice, time and preparation and does not happen overnight. I also feel better hearing from other colleagues that the too struggle, feel nervous, etc. I definitely need some polishing and more practice, but I feel more prepared to grapple with the challenges ahead.