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Coursework Selections
"The act of putting pen to paper encourages pause for thought, this in turn makes us think more deeply about life, which helps us regain our equilibrium."
~Norbet Platt
The first coursework selection I chose is from EDSE 642 Advanced Methods of Teaching English. In the final exam for this course, we were asked to reflect on our expectations of teaching in Mississippi as well as the reality of being an educator in the Delta. At the time, this assignment seemed easy to write, but through the process of reflecting on first impressions and my original expectations I learned something I will always carry with me. Expectations need to be examined and studied throughout any experience. Expectations are an invaluable tool for developing current and future goals. Expectations are a reminder of why one continues to work hard despite facing tragic realities. In my reflection I wrote, “I hadn’t imaged that my expectations would become my goals. I had not imagined that my goals would become ideals that I will have to fight to accomplish. There are so many obstacles that I leave school everyday amazed anything has been accomplished. Despite bells that do not ring on time, insane interruptions from janitors, erratic announcements about going to jail for fighting, and routine paddling, learning happens. Why? The students.” The same compassion that I started Teacher Corps with have not left me, but the realities have gotten in the way of my goals. The students’ realities were what kept me going and sustained my compassion. Professionally, I learned how expectations must become a part of one’s goal for improvement. How I imagined starting and teaching my classes will always be my goals that I strive to see come to fruition.
Coursework Selection from EDSE 642
The second coursework selection I have selected is from EDLD The Effective Principal. The following selection also played a key role in my development as a professional teacher. In this course, the capstone project was to research the communities where we were teaching. In the process of researching Jackson, MS, I discovered how little I knew about where I had been living for the past four months. I gained valuable insights to some of the other types of struggles and obstacles my students and their families faced everyday. I do not think I will ever enter a community I will be teaching in without thoroughly researching aspects of daily life, government structures, job opportunities, and countless other factors that play significant (and seemingly insignificant yet important) role in the lives of my students. In my philosophy of teaching I mention Paulo Freire and how he stresses the essentialness of knowing your students. I feel this is an important layer to consider and incorporate into how I interact with students and their families.
Coursework Selection from EDLD The Effective Principal
Although I feel I could expand on all the assignments and projects we engaged in throughout this program, the last crucial piece of coursework I feel has contributed to my professional growth comes from an early class: EDSE 500. In this class we were asked to prepare binders with various resources we have gathered on classroom management, lesson plan ideas, and other pertinent information concerning teaching. Although I have never throw anything away, I did not have an adequate system for keeping important information. This assignment enabled me to think about how I was going to store and keep resources. I have modified the system to keep hanging files in a filing cabinet, but I never realized how important it is to have a system for organizing paper. My principal and other co-workers are always amazed at how neat my desk is at school, and I never would have achieved a level of success in organization had it not been for EDSE 500 (and EDSE 642). I may have actually drowned in paperwork had I not been given fair warning ahead of time. I am pleased that I can find necessary paperwork quickly and easily.
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