Learning Letter

This quarter has been a jam packed one, especially for this class. Because of this class’s book talks and the required reading of the young adult books, I got into the groove of reading. Through the course of this quarter, I ended up reading 10 full length novels, more than half of which were for pleasure. This quarter I took 18 credits, student teaching 11 plus hours a week, and working, so you can imagine how much time I had to pleasure read; none. So, I pleasure read instead of working on projects, so that was the downfall to the renewal of my passion. But it’s okay, because I caught up.

Through the book talks, I was able to analyze what makes a book worth teaching, create my own rational for the books, and come up with teaching ideas for those books. This was a really good experience for me because I had never considered my rationales for the books that I wanted to teach. I am a very passionate person when it comes to books, but I have never articulated why I am passionate about them. I am very thankful we had the book talks because they provided me with a long list of books to read, but mainly because I learned how to rationale my book choices.

I am beyond grateful for the three-week unit plan. Before this opportunity, I doubted my ability to be a teacher because the thought of planning so far in advance seemed impossible. It stressed me out beyond recognition. It was a pain in the butt, but completing it felt so good. I now have a new-found confidence in myself as a future teacher. I feel much more prepared walking into my full-time student teaching quarter.

We talked about many pedagogical theories through our discussions of the required texts. My favorite discussions were those that involved rationales, what’s considered appropriate or inappropriate in literature, and how to handle parents. I know personally my views about literature are much more liberal than I know some parents may appreciate, so talking about how to go about handling parents and controversial themes were the most beneficial to me.

I also enjoyed talking about alternatives to the normal classroom activities and tests. I still believe there is a lot of merit in normal test taking, writing essays, etc. No matter how far the educational system evolves, students will always need to know how to write a formal essay. Students will always take exams in colleges. I will continue to use these practices in my classroom. However, I do like the idea of using social media for the use of reflection, as a project, etc. I want to have a nice array of activities so that my students are never bored with the material we are covering. I want to keep them on their toes while still providing them with the needed information to maneuver through college and their careers.

I feel much more like a teacher of the English arts now. I feel like I’ve had the necessary training because of this class to not only teach but to be proficient in teaching English specifically. I know I can plan ahead and create units now. I know I can provide rationales for my choices in literature. Through my participation in discussions and blog, I know theories I can implement into my classroom (or steer away from). Given the chance to articulate my thoughts concerning the required materials through the means of our blog posts has been super beneficial. I understand now just how important reflection is. I will use this as a means to assess understanding.

Despite the immense stress, I am grateful to have taken this course. I’m Macie Gardner, and I am equipped to be Miss Gardner now.