When reflecting on my goals for this course, immediately I am met with the hope to gain a 4.0, and some deeper understanding of teaching. However, a great goal manifests itself within me, one that I hope to achieve throughout this semester. My biggest goal is successfully being able to incorporate what we are learning in class, to the future classroom. Many times I find myself digesting information during class, and then later, when it comes time to use the information, forgetting what I learned, or not appropriately applying the technique. It is my wish that I take what we learn in the classroom and apply it to my teaching in a way that benefits not only the students, but me as well.
I hope to someday teach in a high school special education classroom. It is my dream to one day close the gap between the disabled world and the able bodied world. I agree with what Brenner, Jayroe & Boutwell write that "it is our responsibility as educators to help parents and children understand the power of literacy." I am however, indifferent to where I teach, or the community that I am in. I would like to believe that I am capable as Brenner, Jayroe & Boutwell write to provide students, especially struggling students with "authentic learning opportunities." I feel strongly that wherever I am placed there would be a reason for my placement in that area, and I would try to make the best of that situation. I know that these words come off as nothing more than a young man’s naïve hope for becoming a successful teacher, but to me, it is more than success, it is the opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life. I am ready to go anywhere, and I believe that my schooling here as prepared me for that.
This course can help guide me in my preparations for the future by exposing me to elements of the classroom that I am unfamiliar with. For instance, I have never worked with ELL students, and know little about their needs in the classroom. As Tompkins writes "culturally responsive teachers/teaching empowers students." With this is in mind I would like to challenge myself to become more culturally aware and responsive in my teachings, and I know this course will help give me the appropriate tools necessary to do just that. With the lessons I will learn in this course, and the opportunity I will have to apply them to my own teaching during the semester, I know I will learn valuable approaches to teaching students of all “ability” levels. I welcome the challenge of this semester, and look forward to all the new experiences that lay ahead.
Literacy instruction is an interesting topic to me. I hope to learn how to incorporate interesting and new ways of teaching literacy to the classroom. I like how we are taking a technological approach to our learning this semester, and I hope that I can apply our personal experiences with technology to my future classroom. I feel I have a lot to learn about literacy, and I know it is not a good enough answer to say, “I want to learn all I can about teaching literacy,” but honestly, I do not know where else to start. Our education has prepared us with the content knowledge we need in order to be successful literacy teachers. I suppose now I am ready to learn the tools to teach literacy to others. It is my hope that these tools take us from being “good” teachers, to “great” teachers. I am sure that this semester will help all course members become stronger in their teaching. I look forward to watching the transformation.
