Reflection

The last year I spent working and studying as a resident graduate student at High Tech Middle. The first semester was spent planning and teaching spurratic lessons, while mostly observing my cooperating teacher. The second semester I had the opportunity to use what I had learned in a practical application with a 10 week takeover. For this, I planned an iterative engineering project where students built 3 iterations of cars ultimately designing an battery powered vehicle for their final. You’re welcome to checkout this project, and ideas for another about the history of humans, in the projects tab at the top.

This year has been quite the rollercoaster. Re-entering the city. Fighting traffic. Sirens and construction sounds everyday. The forest is gone. Re-entering school is something I never thought I would ever do again. Especially to become a teacher. Most of my life I resented school and now I find myself becoming the thing I loathed. Education shouldn’t be something students hate. And I realize I don’t have to embody the principles of the institution, but instead can choose to be the change in the system I’ve always wanted. This year has made me realize how much I’ve embodied this idea in the classroom, by taking students outside for lessons, utilizing hands-on learning, welcoming students into the classroom, and always being willing to listen. Something I think I do really well is make students feel welcome and comfortable. Jokes are my goto, and I’m never afraid to laugh at myself, showing that learning is a process of blunders, and it’s okay to take risks. 

I’ve never thought of myself as a strong student. As I’m writing this it’s the night before, reconfirming my thoughts about myself. I know I procrastinate and have poor organization, they are skills I’m working on. But these skills (or lack thereof) don’t define my quality of work. When we think of someone who’s a good human being, we don’t immediately go to organized as a descriptor. Fair, kind, understanding, loving, respectful, trustworthy, non-judgmental, integral, humble. These are words I would use to describe a good human being. These are qualities I want my students to develop while they are under my instruction. Living in a community is unavoidable, and learning to work collaboratively instead of competitively is how we instill these traits into our next generation.

Because I never have thought of myself as a strong student, I am curious to explore this question further through research. What helps students create an academic mindset and confidence in their work and how can I help build that for ALL my students, not just a few? What would have helped me feel more confident in school? What would have helped engage me in my OWN learning process?