Final Course Reflection
Taylor Clausius
Meeting Expectations
This course far exceeded my expectations! I think when I came into this class I was expecting a completely different thing. I learned a lot about how to make changes in my teaching/studying now and for when I'll be a teacher in the future. I also learned so many technology tools that I never had even heard of before that I know I'll get a lot of use of from here on out.
My Expectations
I met my expectations from learning and experiencing new things but work wise I did not. This 8 weeks I had a lot going on with my family so it took away from my homework time and unfortunately I had to miss a couple of homework assignments. As far as learning goes, I stored a lot of helpful tools to help me in the process of getting my degree and after. I've kept all my assignments and sources that I found useful in a folder that way I can always look back at it.
Growing & Learning
This class really opened my eyes to the unique and diverse world that teaching can be if YOU CHOOSE to open that door. Being 22, even now I think back to some of the teachers I had growing up and how I would dread going to their classes, and I swore I would never be like that. But as I'm going through the steps of becoming a teacher I got the random "what if" thoughts or "how will I do this!?" but now I know. I know now I don't need to be scared to try and put my own touch in my classroom and my teaching skills. I think that's what makes a classroom so unique and special and how you build a close relationship with your students. As long as I put my students on the right education path and am teaching them the material I need to, I can be as creative as I can and want to be along the way.
Making a Difference...
I want to be that teacher that makes a difference to all their students. I want my students to be excited and willing to learn everyday, and trust coming to me for anything they need. I would love to be that teacher that they talk about in their later years, remembering how much they enjoyed and took from my classroom.
Hands on/Interactive
I don't ever want to be that teacher that lays the material in front of the students to do one their own. I want to have fun projects, activities, and centers to keep my students on edge and ready to learn. I believe from my past experiences and after this class, that being hands on and having ever changing activities helps teach and keep children excited.
Creative!
As I said throughout this entire page, I want to be very creative in my classroom and with my teaching. Of course, being creative isn't the staple in my teaching, I want to make sure I get the material and knowledge through too. I wan tot have a nice classroom full of bright posters and extra material for my students. I always loved the idea of a "quiet place" for when students finish their homework they can have a spot of their own to relax and read if they want to. This spot would also help any children with special needs in the classroom to help escape and calm themselves down.
My Own Thoughts..
It's been a while since I took Intro to teaching, so this class definitely got me excited and back on my feet to the path I've been heading down. I really enjoyed all the "homework assignments" we were assigned and the sites we were given to look through. I really enjoyed looking through my other classmates work to see their points of view. I think the only thing I would change is having a little more interaction with my classmates. Maybe having a couple discussions to really pick their point of view would be interesting to hear. But I loved how excited and into the class everyone was. At first I was nervous about picking a different technology tool each time, but then I got excited to see and learn different ones. I have to say, I think Smore has been my favorite I've come across so far, but I'm still looking through more!