Goodbye, EDU 100

I've loved taking this course so much, and I can't believe the semester is already over! I learned so much about teaching through this course. I think that teaching is like baking. There are always recipes to follow, but teachers, just like chefs, can improvise too. The recipe is like the core and standards that teachers need to explain to their students. However, a teacher can put her own twists and secret ingredients on the lessons and still get the expected result in the end. When baking, it is important not to undercook or overcook the food. A teacher shouldn't under teach her students by giving them too much independence. While it is important for students to do work on their own, they still need help and supervision along the way. Teachers shouldn't over-teach their students either. Spending too much time or being too over-bearing on a lesson can cause students to hate learning. A teacher needs to find the perfect balance of supervision and independence, just like a perfect baking time is important when cooking.The end result--the students-- are all different and unique, but all equally valuable and important. They can all have different values, shapes, sizes, flavors, just like baked goods do. Lastly, a teacher should know how to keep things sweet :)

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An important take away from this class is that there are so many ways to teach and learn. There are traditional classrooms, but there are also classrooms that are very diverse, classrooms that embrace culture, specialized classrooms such as Montessori or Walden, classes that meet outside only, un-schooling techniques. Education does NOT need to be cookie-cutter as long as the students are learning.

Also, although the teacher is responsible for educating the entire classroom, he/she still needs to tailor certain lessons more toward certain students. The lesson shouldn't just be spat out and finished, the teacher needs to tweak and adapt the lessons to whatever the students need.

Lastly, it is so important for classrooms to be diverse. It is crucial for students to interact with peers of different cultures, and the curriculum needs to be multicultural as well. All the different cultures in our country is what makes us special. Understanding cultures and accepting them is an important skill for students to master as they move on to higher education and join the work force. Respecting everyone is always necessary.

From my classmates, I've seen how different every teacher (or future teacher) is. We are all different, but we all have the same passion to teach children and help out the next generation. Having teachers who are all different is totally fine, just like every student is different. Over the semester, we've learned from each other and I think as teachers, we need to be willing to learn from our students too.