Pytash: Final Reflection

This was a very busy semester, but every single college student says this, so who is to believe? I can't' allow for myself to get caught up in frantic nature of the end of the semester, this cycle has occurs so many times, that I feel I have it down to science, it's like riding a bike, after doing it for so long it becomes like second nature. I am glad to say that this semester was not like going through the motions. I feel that I grew the most when working with my student at Firestone, hands down, that experience felt like I was getting a taste of the rest of my life, the reality of it scared me at first, but then I began to feel a pride that came along with being responsible for my student's growth, not just academically, but as a person. I knew that if I could feel proud of what I did with my students, then I could enjoy being in the classroom for years to come. I hope I don't sound picky in this post, I would take any teaching job just to feel the satisfaction I assume comes with being a real teacher with responsibilities. The Language as ..... theories allowed for me to fully understand the different schools of thought on what we ought to be doing as teachers. As I stated in class many times, I would behave as a teacher who employs the Language as a Social Construct theory, I want my teaching to help shape young people so they will be ready to deal with the issues and questions of our society. I didn't gain too much from the Yvonne Hutchison. She had a very willing class that wanted to engage in discussions based on critical thoughts, all she had to do was guide them and make sure they didn't get out of line, I didn't see her motivate any student that wasn't already engaged. The text book for this class was good, I feet I will use a good amount of this book when preparing for lessons. I like how Jago had high expectations, she really pushes for her students to reach their potential, but I think at times she would put too much of a work load on her students. I appreciated how the this class was aligned with Professor Foot's class, the only comment I have about both of these classes is the fact that we only meet 15 or less times a semester, I have always learned better in classes that meet more than once a week, at times it felt like a string of seminars. I know that Dr.Kist, Professor Foot , and yourself have a lot of experience and wisdom to offer in your classes, and just seeing you all so briefly over the semester was convenient for work and running, but I think I would have learned the material better had we met more frequently. I loved that we dealt with The Great Gatsby all semester, I feel ready to go out and teach it right now, I know that one day I will get to teach this book, and I am know armed with many different resources for teaching it. Overall, this was a great semester, I always looked forward to coming to your class, and always felt like I would be learning worth while material from someone who has experienced the job I want to hold. So have a good summer, and I will see you around White Hall.