Learning Letter

                The various pieces of this course have been successful in providing what I felt was a cohesive effort to impart what it is to be an English Language Arts teacher in our current educational climate. Most useful for this purpose, of course, was the construction of the three week unit plan, allowing us the opportunity to consider how we would go about introduce and teaching a text on a very real level. The unit plans allowed us to look at the actual process of educating students from every angle of instruction. We were able to think about classroom management, assessment, adherence to standards and how to get our students engaged in the material.

                The mini-lessons gave as a taste of the real classroom experience. While this, of course, did not include actual high school students, it gave us the opportunity to see how we would perform as teachers in a classroom setting, and not as students. It was kind of our first opportunity to look at a classroom as teachers and not as students ourselves and see how exactly it was that we would organize and manage a classroom of our own. Furthermore, this provided us the chance to arrange some kind of activity for students and see how that activity would function in a real classroom and then get immediate feedback from our peers concerning our success as teachers and the places that we needed to improve. This was valuable information.

                The book talks were an informative and effective means of introducing those of us (like myself) who were not very familiar with many young adult texts to a large selection and a diverse range of books. With the brief synopses provided, I was able to determine which text I found interesting and might consider teaching myself and which texts I felt were either uninteresting, or perhaps inappropriate for a high school classroom.

                From a theoretical standpoint, I think I probably found those texts most focused on actual classroom practices most informative and valuable (specifically the Tovani text and the article on assessment). These provided me with ideas and direction that I will be able to use in my classroom and to enhance my own abilities as an educator, allowing me to link the more abstract theory with these more practical applications. From what we have learned in this class about educational theory I look forward to finally taking course that will focus even more on these educational strategies and allow me to increase my understanding of my chosen profession. Finally, with this theory as a backbone of my classroom management and approach, I know that I will better be able to assist my students in gaining the knowledge and education they will need to be successful in college and in the working world, as well as in the moral and cultural worlds in which they reside.

                With the foundation that this class has provided for me, and the hard work and effort that has gone into trying to be successful in all its various aspects, I believe that I have been set on a firm and directed course toward what should hopefully be a promising and fulfilling career.