This quarter has been a whirlwind with a lot to do and a lot of new information being thrown at me. This class is no exception when it comes to having plenty to do and plenty to learn. Looking back at this quarter and everything that I have done, I am really proud of my growth as a teacher. The work I have done in this class and all of the new concepts and theories that I have read and discussed have significantly impacted my ideas as a teacher.
I am very proud of the work I have done on my book-talk, mini-lesson, and my Unit plan. Each one challenged me differently, causing me to think differently. I really enjoyed the book-talks because they gave me the opportunity to share a book that I really love, and that some of my students love, and give my fellow teachers a new book option. I also really appreciated seeing the other books everyone chose. A lot of the books discussed I have never had the opportunity to read and have now added them to my reading list. The mini-lesson was challenging in a different form than my usual lessons. It was tough to write a lesson plan that used a book while staying within a 20min time frame. There was so much I could have done with the book, but because of the short time limit, I had to really search for what point I wanted to teach. This assignment challenged me to take an assigned book that I didn't have much say of and teach it to my students in a way that makes sense, mimicking what some of us might have to do depending on the school we teach at. The unit plan was the most challenging of them all. It was a lot of fun to take a book that I would teach and create a 3-week unit plan for it, but it was so tricky! I have never written that many lesson plans altogether, and creating an entire unit plan was tough. I am really proud of all the hard work I put into this assignment though, and there is a lot that I learned from it.
I am not going to lie, there was a lot of reading in this class, and at times it was hard to keep up with all of it. I feel like I could have learned a lot more in this class if there was a little less reading, that way I wouldn't rush through the reading and would be able to retain more. However, despite occasionally having to rush through the readings, there is a lot that I learned about concepts and theories of teaching. I really enjoyed I Read it, But Don't Get It and Readicide. Those books really had an impact on me because the concepts addressed in the two books are something I face every single day in my practicum. Getting my students to read and comprehend novels or short stories is a painful process, and everything discussed in the books and in class was extremely influential on how I approached teaching my students literacy. Since completing all the reading in the class, I have noticed my teaching of literature changing, and I have attempted to change my approach to working with my students. Since then, I have seen an increase in reading comprehension amongst my students.
Reflecting upon everything we did in this class this quarter and my participation, I can already see my thinking about myself as a teacher to be influenced positively. Already, in my practicum, I have seen my confidence in myself and what I am teaching grow immensely. I feel more comfortable teaching my students and writing lesson plans. This class has given me a lot of ideas, new approaches, and new experiences that I can bring in to my classroom as a teacher. I think the most significant impact this class has had on me as a teacher is not only confidence but also helping me to feel comfortable in front of my students and in coming up with lessons. I still have a lot of growth that needs to be made in both aspects, but I can already see a difference being made in how I teach and in myself as a teacher.
