On Teaching and Reflection

Somewhere on my bookshelves, sandwiched between worn copies of literary classics and young adult novels, rests my collection of the title On Writing and other memoirs focused on the craft. Several authors have attempted to make sense of their adopted art, and even more have tried to guide others through their creative processes: Virginia Woolf, Ernest Hemingway, Stephen King, Sol Stein, Ray Bradbury, and George Orwell, to name a few. While many of the memoirs composed by those who have found great success in their writing highlight similar themes when discussing the elements of their work, each writer also offers a sort of defense for his or her own approach in connecting a pen to paper. That, of course, is the beauty of writing: an author has freedom within some set conventions, and even these boundaries can be broken if the right time presents itself. After four years of undergraduate study, I think the biggest takeaway from my experience as a pre-service teacher is that education should be viewed through a similar lens to writing. There are standards and expectations when it comes to teaching the “right” way, but as an educator, I should not be afraid to introduce my philosophy as another valid possibility. There are conventions in teaching, but there are also opportunities to teach freely with best practices in mind. There are traditional methods that can (and many that should) be changed. There are current expectations that a new generation of educators should not see as obstacles, but instead as opportunities for previously exclusive boundaries to be broken.

Although this is meant to be my last post as a “future” educator, I am a firm believer (as both a student of life and a hopeful writer) that learning and growing are never over. So far, my journey as an education major has shown me that I most strongly align with the progressivist class of education theorists. It has deepened my love for academic study and historical research. It has allowed me to forge unforgettable relationships with my peers, professors, cooperating teacher, and admirable students. I discovered my desire to work with students as both their teacher and as a learner. I found that my relationships with those in my classroom community are even more important than what my lesson plans have scheduled (although, purposeful planning is important too!). I have started to explore the different employment opportunities available to those in the education field, and I am considering what possibilities a graduate degree in school guidance counseling might hold for me in the future. I am still learning about the many established resources teachers can access when planning lessons or perfecting their craft, and I am navigating the changes made to the education world as we try to cope with the COVID-19 crisis. I miss my students at EMS, and I grieve the loss of a full student teaching experience. But, my education journey does not end here. In fact, it’s only just beginning.