This is the second class for which I was required to write a blog. The first was German 101. Obviously the point of that was to make learning the language more, fun, modern, and relatable. I don't remember who said this in class, but using technology like blogs and power point presentations gives the students a certain feeling of obligation to do their work. We can of course all see each other's blogs. I thought that was a really good point.
I myself don't blog. I am a bit averse to writing about myself and my reactions to things. Honestly I didn't like the assignment in German, and never really did it. I think it will much more useful in 504 though. It's very important for us to be in contact with each other and since our work here is so intensive and important it's a great tool for us to get feedback from each other.
I guess I can talk a little bit about why I want to be a teacher. I went to private school K-2 and hated it. They told my mother I had a learning disability and that I needed to see a psychiatrist because I wasn't performing to standards. We went to a professional who said basically, "No, Dylan is fine. I think he's just bored. You should put him somewhere he can be more challenged." So then public school grades 3-4. Also not the greatest experience. So then homeschool 5-9. My freshman year of high school I enrolled in a Latin class while still being home-schooled. I loved it. I had a wonderful teacher who got me really engaged with the work. I had such a good experience with her that I re-enrolled in public school and graduated from Loy Norrix three years later. I fell in love with Latin and majored in Classical Languages and Literature here at UM. I worked as a teacher's assistant in high school and tutored Latin while in college. I love teaching. I love seeing the progress students make in difficult work because I know I've done something real for them. I am a big fan of getting up in front of large groups of people and have been doing it most of my life with acting, improv comedy, and forensics (public speaking). I think my quirkiness will bring a little something special to my teaching methods, and my mentor seems to agree.
Finally, I'm looking forward to learning about how technology can be used in the classroom! And I can't wait to take a look at everyone else's blogs.
That's a pretty fascinating track record... What about your first Latin instructor's teaching made it so engaging? Conversely, what made the other experiences less positive?
ReplyDeleteDylan, it was nice getting your ideas about blogging for this class and how you think it will compare to the other class for which you were required to keep a blog. I have never blogged before so I find this whole thing interesting, and I sure hope it will be useful. I also really enjoyed hearing your experiences. It's always interesting to evaluate why we want to be educators, particularly since so few people it seems had a really good time in school when they were younger. Why would we want to return? It's always good to hear about those cases (like yours) though in which it was a positive, not negative, experience that made you want to be a teacher. I look forward to reading more!
ReplyDeleteHey Dylan! I really enjoyed this post. Thank you for sharing a bit about yourself with the rest of us. It's a little weird being in a program with completely new people, and I'm still trying to get to know everyone, so this helps. I'm wondering, how do you think your bad experiences during your younger years of school have shaped the sort of teacher you want to be in the future and the sort of classroom experience you want to develop for your students? It's interesting that, after having a less-than-ideal experience, in the end you were drawn back to school and the teaching profession. I look forward to reading more of your posts. (Also, cool that you've done acting and improv!)
ReplyDeleteAt a time of unprecedented levels of diversity in the schooling many families can choose for your schooling, you bring a very important perspective to the table.
ReplyDeleteDylan, thank you for your personal post! That's why I love the blog requirement of this course. (It's probably the best aspect of this course this summer!) Even though we have been learning so much about so many different uses of differing web applications, or "technology" that we can one day use in our classrooms, I find blogging to be the best.
ReplyDeleteAnd back to your post - thank you for your honesty and sharing this post with your classmates, and with the rest of the Internet community! That is very brave of you. I respect where you have come from as an adolescent learner and love that we share a similar experience of encountering THAT teacher who inspired us to be teachers ourselves. I find that most of us are here because we have all had similar experiences where individuals, mostly those from a teaching background, have inspired us in one way or another to become teachers just like them!
I would also like to piggyback on Katherine's question about how you can use your past experiences to better teach students in your class who may be struggling? In what ways will you utilize your past experiences as an adolescent learner to better serve students who exemplify similar traits?