Reflection Paper

Different people understand and process information in different ways. While people may or may not learn exactly the same way, people tend to be grouped under three learning styles: auditory, visual, and kinesthetic. Auditory learners process things through hearing. These people learn best by listening to lectures and reading out loud. Visual learners, on the other hand, comprehend and understand information using their eyes. They learn via reading textbooks and watching videos. Lastly, kinesthetic learners take in information by doing things. These people tend to pace while studying and have to move around a lot.

Science Instructional Analysis and Methods class has afforded me countless learning experiences which I have taken into my intern classroom. I have several take away for this fall’s science methods course. The first being, in Methods class I learned to work in distinct groups of with peers of various levels. My peers who are experiencing classroom teaching for the first time and the graduate interns. Surprisingly, I learned from working with both of these groups. From the graduate level students, I was able to actually make a connection with the content we read about in our text and experiences I had everyday in internship. I appreciate the opportunity, as I felt safe and free to ask questions about the experiences they had in teaching science. I commend you on the way you had broken up the class groups, and afforded us to work with different groups. During this process, I feel I have started to find my voice as a professional. This opportunity allowed me to be more confident to voice my ideas to the teachers I worked with in internship, as I contribute to my PLC group.

On September 6, 2017, I were documented for an incident that involved a University Housing policy violation. I was charged with violating the University Housing Alcohol 1.2 policy. With my violation, came consequences. I met with The Residence Conduct Coordinator to discuss my actions and came to the conclusion that I would have to schedule a meeting with The Campus Alcohol and Drug Education Center (CADEC) and with that, a reflection paper.

Over the years, writing has been my safe place. It has been a security blanket of sorts; an outlet that I can use knowing I will not receive criticism in the same was I do when I speak. Although my writing experience has not consisted of much, I have been able to grow steadily and learn how to engage with an audience. I can identify my strengths, take advantage of them, and work on the areas I find to be the weakest. It has fueled my passion for world change, even though I am still unaware of how it will tie in with my future career path. Writing has given me a voice that I do not have the courage to speak from my mouth.

Over the course of these first 18 weeks we have covered quite a few titles. We have read texts so old that it is even a question if the author existed at all. In our studies, we covered everything from the very first works of western literature to what is considered modern western literature. All of the texts are great, and all have value for my education. However, two texts--but for the sake of this essay--three texts stood out to me the most. Of all the works we have studied Aristotle’s Poetics, Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, and Chaucer’s Wife of Bath were my most favorite.

Over the course of the semester, I have been fortunate enough to work with a student who is having difficulties when it comes to reading. My student does not have difficulties when it comes to hearing a word, but rather when he sees a word. My student has definitely benefited from one on one work with me as well as the additional help he’s getting from the reading specialist during their WIN (what I need) time. My student does not like to read because he knows that he is struggling and he is embarrassed about it. When my student goes to his WIN time, he does really well because the instruction is at his level and there are only two other students who are also on the same level there as well. Besides the current intervention, programs I would recommend are Direct Instruction: Reading Mastery, Letter Spacing, Wilson Reading System and the Lindamood program (LiPS).

I like to believe that there are infinite ways to “be human”, all revolving around our inherent desire to cooperate and coexist. We’re an innovative species, driven by our ability to contemplate and united by our need to give meaning to the world around us. Somewhere along this common quest to think in terms of a global context, humans have devised, and continue to turn to, a plethora of institutions be they religious, political, or otherwise. Today, my own collaborative human journey looks toward one institution in particular - Georgetown University.

In this course, one of the things I learned that stood out to me cognitively that prompted an internal cognitive reaction was bereavement experiences. On the first day of class, I learned that there are different beliefs about what happens after death. For example, some people think that reincarnation happens after death. However, I believe you either go to heaven or hell. I almost second guessed myself when reincarnation was brought up. Second, seeing the video of the mom discussing the story of her daughter committing suicide prompted an internal cognitive reaction in me. I was thinking to myself, how couldn’t anyone prevent this from happening? I wish that she knew what she was experiencing was only temporarily and not permanently. I was angry that she had to endure so much pain and obstacles in her life. Third, hearing the story of Prof. Windsor life and how she still grew to be strong, successful, and leading groups to help others with similar stories to hers. I was motivated to work on being a better social worker.

It was called the washing. Its purpose was to "wash the impurities" out of everyone’s head. Man no longer had morals, and no one followed laws. Brother was scared of brother and sister turned on sister. The bigger picture was, if no one remembered wrongdoings in their past they would not do it in their future. it was kind of like a reset button...but for humans. Really, it was just a way to depersonalize the population because robots are always easier to control than human’s who had something to fight for. They started with small, with inmates, then moved to anyone even accused of a crime. Soon workplaces and schools required it. Some resisted, and they were executed, so if the soldiers came to your door you had to comply or die.

Students thrive in environments in which they feel that multiple aspects of their identity are valued and honored. This feeling of importance is the foundation of what a culturally relevant space is and should be at the core of an educators pedagogy of care. Historically, this basic need of feeling valued by one’s community has been denied from culturally and linguistically diverse students in the realm of education. The wealth of experiences they bring with them into the classroom are often checked at the door like a winter coat and forgotten by their teachers. When their linguistic skills are brought up in academic spaces they are often depicted in a deficit model and linked to the challenges said students may be experiencing in the classroom. Teaching for social justice works to provide a counter narrative for diverse student populations and empowers them through the incorporation of their identities into academic curricula. Before enrolling in this course I was aware of the huge disservice done to diverse students through the implementation of Eurocentric curriculum that aims to educate them with a model that does not include their stories. However, I had not come up with a statement that expressed my beliefs and the ideas that my future classrooms would be founded upon. Creating an ideological stance forces educators to hold themselves accountable for critically thinking through their beliefs and consistently compare their practice to their theory. Through this system

The year is two thousand and seventeen, I am twenty-four and in disbelief while listening to the news station. My country, United States, and its citizens are upset and confused at one another. I think to myself with concern, “how did it get so bad?” the news continues to report in the background. I listen for a second, “requesting all white students to leave campus for a day, another campus is to host an all-black graduation, and several protests are happening violently on campuses all over the country...” I tune out again and begin to feel the weight in my heart. “How… “my thoughts start. “how can…” my mind tries again. I feel confused, shocked, concerned, and I feel betrayed. My eyebrows narrow and I squeeze my thought out, “How can we go back 60 years?” After all that has happened in our history, how can this country have segregation in our academics?

Is death meant to be the end of everything? Or is it the beginning of something new? I worked as a Rescue Scuba Diver in my country. This job made me think a lot about the meaning of death. It doesn't mean that life will become sadness and full of darkness, but it might be the opposite. When we lose someone special in our life is not like losing everything. It might be a new chapter in our life. The first time I saw dead body front of me, I learned that death of a loved one hurts but it makes a person stronger.

Relationships have been a strength in my personal and professional life and my most recent re-assignment as a technology integrator and instructional coach has tested my relationship development and maintenance of trust particularly with more challenging individuals. Extra grace is required at times. This was profound rehearsal for dealing with potentially difficult parents and I continue to seek first to understand. One of the best examples I witnessed over this internship came from the new principal at Valley View. During the fall conference day he pulled his desk into the center hallway where parents would enter the building and manned the welcome table the entire day. Many of my primary teacher colleagues mentioned how many parents noted and appreciated the welcome. I have that in my back pocket as a definitive implementation when I become principal.

When I was in the first grade, my learning disabilities started to shine through. I always thought my struggles rooted from my lack of effort and trying to get through the school day. One day, a teacher came into my classroom and asked for me. I walked with her to this empty, smelly, and plain white room. She started telling me that she was with the special ed department, had been tracking my progress, and that I had a learning disability that needed to be acknowledged. She started showing me proof that I was having troubles in math. She handed me a thick envelope and told me to take it home to my parents so they could go over it and sign it. Those papers changed the way I was able to learn and started to get me on track throughout the rest of my school years.

For most students in the public-school system, seeing a private school classroom with under fifteen students in the classroom would be an uncommon sight to them: Since most public-school classes hold up to twenty-five students to one teacher. Although this close interaction between student and teacher greatly shaped me as well as my reading and writing skills today, it did not come without drawbacks when I transferred to a public school for the first time. Highschool was the first time that I attended public school. This is when I discovered just how much personal accountability it would take to stay on top of all the essays and Shakespeare worksheets not to mention the other three teachers that expected I complete their assigned homework