Learning Letter

Dear Dr. Agriss,

This quarter was certainly a whirlwind of new and challenging assignments. I particularly found interesting the book talks we held in place as I have often considered exactly how, and what the process for 'pitching' a book I found particularly valuable or engaging to a school board for approval. I now know exactly how to do that, if not the reality of the actual process. I can guarantee I will be doing something very similar to this in the future as my love of literature progresses and I discover new material worth using in the classroom. As an extension of the work done in this class, the unit plan was a beast in of itself. The moment I completed it, I already knew what I could improve. This project I began at the beginning of the quarter spanned 15 different days of instruction and almost as many strategies and activities. I feel more confident in myself as a teacher candidate now that it is all over. If I were to teach the book I wrote my unit plan for, I would definitely change somethings. I would extend it to more than just three weeks (Huck is a large book). I would probably also include a greater variety of activities. I am very proud of my anonymous discussion on racial issues contained with the novel. The weekly blog posts were something new to me, and it took a while for me to come around to the idea of them. I see now their importance and how it prepares everyone to discuss topics by the time they arise in class. Perhaps I will utilize something similar in my classrooms in the future and assign posts as homework.

We covered many theories and concepts in our readings and discussion. Time and time again, I found myself thinking about student-directed assessment, inquiry, and discovery. I always forget that I don't know what they [students] don't know. I need to focus more on indirect instruction and allow kids to figure things out for themselves. The topics that covered schools in areas of poverty and inner-city students made me feel like I wanted to put my services where they are the most needed. I wish to do something helpful for all the students that need help out there and may teach ESL courses in Central America post-graduation.

As a teacher candidate, I often feel anxious. In nearly all my courses up until now, it seemed that everything I was learning was hypothetical. How to manage, how to incorporate activities, research, and teaching strategies were all included. However, in this course I felt that I finally had a chance to practice them and use them. Maybe it's just me, but I only learn by doing. In this class, I did a lot. I feel more confident and able to tackle the challenges that lay before me as a teacher. I had a sort of a revelation moment during one of the class discussion. I was discussing strategies and topics within my field with a room full of my colleagues. We were all teaching each other and our strengths were able to shine as a result while also giving each other valuable resources going ahead. We are all in this together, and I feel that I can now more than ever rely on the support of those around me to assist me in the great and noble undertaking that is education. Going into EDUC 420 and student teaching in the fall, I feel much more able to do not just what is needed but instead excel in my efforts.