an assignment

I was assigned a rather tedious make-up assignment from the College of Education recently. I wrote this when I had the time; it was more of a reflection off of the given assignment because it wasn't challenging and as an adult, I felt that it did no good to simply do what I was told. In the end, I will probably not hand this version to her. If students had a voice in the policies of our education department...

Make-up summary for seminar 2:

Upon completing the slide notes for Seminar #2, I have come to the conclusion that these seminars are needed for administrative purposes. We are instructed to be professional, not just for the sake of our own development, but because we will get a disposition notice. The students of this college, those who earned a slot into the program, are taught with fear and juvenile techniques. They are in fear of making a mistake, to take a risk and ask questions. Are we not adult enough to put away the cellular phone or dress appropriately if only the speaker asks? Are we still children that need adults to formulate rules and bans? Seminars are tools for the administration to successfully create men and women that will continue to listen and follow the traditions of a failing system.

In order to meet the satisfactory requirements of this assignment and keep me from getting into problems, I shall focus on the ways to implement the key points covered. Besides the fact that I had to discuss this already on the powerpoint slides handout (on every single slide, no matter how obvious; see slides 1-3 and 8), I shall not challenge my instructor’s directions and shall regurgitate in a summary manner. Yes, pre-service teachers must not be treated like adults. Assigning the notes on the seminar is not enough; assign it again as a 1 ½ to 2 page summary!

Student-teaching confirmation forms are approaching on our timeline. We have been told through the seminar to follow a certain protocol. Once we receive the email from Sue Lowell, we will need to go to the office and take the form to the school. It has to be signed and submitted within two weeks of receiving placement. Contacting the teacher is a priority, but visiting is not. That is, if it is received during the three-week block, then we are to wait until it is finished.

The take-away idea for this seminar is called the 3-Step Interview. Interviews are done in pairs and then assimilated into another. Communication skills are practiced as well as critical thinking. What you learn from another should have a connection to each other or on the topic.

The last key point I have missed is the first assigned reading from the Wong textbook. To implement high expectations, I will organize my goals and expectations into something tangible. This is effective when students have no guidance on the first day. To support this point, I connect the video of Chelonnda Seroyer’s presentation. She provided clear rules and guildelines. The students knew that her classroom does not get distracted by low expectations. By using her own childhood, Seroyer exemplified a first-hand source: create a structured environment that remains consistent and safe even when everything else is chaotic. Students should feel that a classroom will provide a learning environment and away from inconsistencies of their lives.