Learning Letter

This last quarter has been a very interesting and insightful one. Over the course of this quarter, I have learned a lot about what it means to be a teacher and have developed strategies and techniques to better teach students in the classroom environment. While I can't say that this quarter has been easy, I can definitely say that I've learned a lot more than I ever thought I would. 

Of all the lessons from this quarter, I've learned a lot about planning and preparing curriculum for students. Especially important given the diverse nature of both our students and the texts they will be exposed to, being able to identify age and content relevant texts is important. Knowing how and where to use these texts can make for a more effective teacher, and I feel the variety of different texts that my peers have presented, as well as the texts we've examined as a class and those I've looked at on my own, can all serve a purpose in the classroom. Some text work great for a unit on symbolism, while others might be more relevant for a unit examining parallels to mythology. Understanding why you are using something to teach students, as well as being able to articulate your purpose in writing, can help to guide instruction, allowing for more effective and insightful lessons for students.

The teaching strategies and concepts we've covered this quarter have demonstrated to me the broad spectrum in which we as teachers will be addressing students in our classrooms. We are teaching to students with a variety of diverse backgrounds, and to be able to use a variety of strategies that empower students and give them the opportunity to not only learn facts and information but also practice applying their critical thinking skills in a classroom environment enables us as teacher to better provide for our students. For me, being able to apply these strategies in my classroom would be a great start to improving as a teacher. My hope is to one day be able to apply these strategies in my own classroom.

Overall, my participation in this class has been helpful in my development as a future instructor. It's helped me realize just how much effort is required when planning and developing curriculum and lesson plans. Despite some of my shortcomings this quarter, I feel more confident in my ability as a future teacher, having learned a lot about how to more effectively develop a lesson for students.