Genre Reflection #1

Genre Reflection 1

            Learning and using people’s names go a long way toward making those people comfortable with you. I have worked in several businesses where I saw certain people on a fairly regular basis. Eventually, I begin to recognize people and call them by name both at work and in the community. Every time, I have seen on the person’s face the pleasure he feels that I have taken the time and effort to learn his name and use it.

            Likewise, learning students’ names in a classroom creates an atmosphere entirely separate from the first meeting. As I have learned the students’ names, they have also learned mine. I have noticed many students calling teachers, administrators, and other adults simply “Miss” or “Mister.” However, I have been known since the second day in my Pre-Student placement as “Mrs. Spangler.” When calling on students to answer a question or passing back homework, I make eye contact with each student and call him or her by name. As I have learned to do this, I have noticed the students also, when needing help, calling me by my name.

            Respect is something I believe can be earned very simply through taking the time to learn students’ names and use them.

Online Reflection #2-- Reliving my HS days

I remember how I was in high school. I was one of those kids who absolutely requires possible real-life applications of assignments before I could really get into them. I was never good at math. It doesn't matter what level it was, I had a very hard time grasping it. I knew in high school that I wanted to be an English teacher and, since none of my teachers could ever really explain to me the need for math as an English teacher, I memorized for tests and immediately forgot everything. Now that I also work as a tutor in a high school, I am realizing that knowledge of math beyond Algebra I would be an asset.

As I am reading materials for this class and remembering things I read in semesters before, I am beginning to grasp the idea that I, as an English teacher, will need to be able to explain why my students will need to know everything I plan to teach them. Not everyone will be going into a field that requires any knowledge of expository writing or critical reading skills. Therefore, it will be my responsibility to make sure I have a purpose for everything I do in my classroom. One thing I never want to say to my students in response to the question of why they have to do what I'm asking of them is, "because you're in my classroom and I say you have to do it." This answer did not work for me and I cannot expect it to work for my students either.

Some things I have been thinking about, and have read about in this week's Beers reading, is the idea of having students perform tasks in groups. While it is important for students to be able to do things on their own, it often works better in groups. The social aspect of working in groups, true, could be a drawback. However, I was always the type of student who could get more done when I had friends who were focusing and working right alongside me. I thrive creatively when I have others to bounce ideas off of and when I can take others' ideas and apply them to my work. So here is my question: how soon do you know your students well enough to be able to send them off with a group of friends with the confidence that they will do their work? Also, does it matter that much? If they don't want to use class time given to them to work, is it really so important as long as they are quiet and have their work done by the time it is due?