Invitation to Reflection 1-1

This focuses on the first two questions: One of the positive memories was being introduced to the poetry of Robert Frost. Poetry was frustrating for me, because I could never “seem to get it.” Therefore, I didn’t enjoy it—went into ‘shut down” mode when the subject was brought up. But there was something about the poems Dessert Places, and Stopping By the Woods On a Snowy Evening that hit me like a ton of bricks one day in a class. We didn’t just read them, we listened to them, we talked about them. Listening to a teacher read them in a way that evoked emotion and induced us to envision the moments described by the words. It was a classroom moment that was filled with deep meaning and inspiration.

I have to direct this to a professor rather than a high school teacher; this professor in specific taught literature classes. He had a way of introducing to the authors and the text that “drew me in.” He taught us a way of analyzing that made me forget that I was analyzing text and left me hungering for more. He was interested in the interpretations of the students and not just his own interpretation. He showed how a subject and study of a subject that can seem so cumbersome can be broken down into manageable pieces and understood. I want to be able to lead my students through text as a means of discovery and not just for the sake of completing an assignment as did he. He was more of a guide directing us on our own way.

An unpleasant memory was of a junior high teacher who made it quite clear the first day of class that she was not happy “having” to teach the class. She wanted to be teaching another type of English class. It was a reading class where we were introduced to different books and authors. We basically sat in the class and read (we needed to remain in our seats and quiet). She didn’t discuss the reading. She gave the books told us to read and then tested us on the text. There was next to no interaction with her students. What interaction that did take place was negative. She gave the class the distinct impression that she did not like junior high students.

The act of teaching is the center of my interest. I love working with young people and seeing them grow as individuals. I am also swayed by literature and speech.

I don‘t know how or when it struck me, but somehow wanting to be an English teacher just blossomed on its own. Some of it comes natural. I guess you could say it’s “second nature to a certain degree. Plus, it is such a big part of life and everything we do. I can’t explain it…I just feel driven to do it.

 

21^st Century Curriculum Notes

Collaboration of community and students, using combined contents resulting in an end goal, news media tv and print

Tying the past to the future—thougts/ideas of writers from the past and their visions of the future, connecting them to how they came to fruition, creating future ideas, print and media

Instilling hope and inspiring change through media—technology used to connect students with authors or advocates who have inspired changed through the basis of hope