Learning Letter

                When it comes to what I have completed within this class, I feel like I did well on the book talk, mini lesson, and the unit plan. I am not only referring to the grades which I received, because those could have been better, but rather the effort I put in along with how I felt I did on each assignment when it comes to learning and how I can use it in the coming years. When it comes to the book assignment I felt that reading a book and being able to talk through it to the class helped set up what was to come with the mini lesson along with the three week unit plan and this I thought was a great set up and helped the class move assignment to assignment smoothly. Now after completing the mini lesson, I should have studied the TPA format better and followed the format. I will say for my first time overall I was extremely happy and believe this is one more step closer to teaching and that is an eye opener along with excitement all mixed together. The assignment was very exciting and challenged me as I had no idea what I would teach for my lesson plan and it took me a long time to figure out. I decided to attempt to be as creative as possible because I feel like one of the qualities I would like most as a teacher is that of allowing my students to be very creative as long as they can support what they feel. This mini lesson showed me that everything is not based on teaching the lesson, but the planning and TPA lesson plans as this shows your planning and overall look for what is to come in each unit. If I could do it all over I would spend more time on my lesson plan itself, but I feel like overall my unit was successful and the class enjoyed it. Now about the three week unit plan, it was definitely a new experience as there was much more work then I could have ever expected within this unit. I really enjoyed being able to work with James and found it to be very educational as James has had much more experience and provide to have great knowledge throughout this assignment. This was a great experience and is what I expect to be controlling my own class to be like. While this assignment took hours upon hours to complete, I felt like this assignment has been the most helpful towards my career choice and has made me excited and ready to teach.

            When it comes to the theories and concepts within the course this quarter, I felt like everything we learned in the beginning helped us throughout. I felt like everything in the beginning of the quarter from the book “I Read it But I Don’t Get it,” to “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” helped us as we entered all of the assignments I have listed above. I remember that when reading about “Pedagogy of the Oppressed,” that this related well to the Common Core State Standards as it comes to our roles as teachers. I felt that these linked in the roles as the shift is happening from strictly lecturing to that of guiding and introducing self discovery. Throughout this quarter to me what I used most is how we discussed about how students and teachers alike are both learning from one another. I never would have thought about how much I could learn from students while also teaching them. One of the best things I took from “Pedagogy…,” was that of learning through discovery which speaks to both students and teachers alike again. Once we are on our own as teachers I feel that self discovery of teaching styles and how to better our teaching to students will rest on our shoulders and I related well to this throughout this quarter. When it came to the concepts throughout the quarter, I found myself identifying best with that of differentiated instruction. I liked this topic so much because I have been in several classrooms where this falls by the way side and if you can not learn in that setting you get left behind. This is a concept that is required within classrooms now and I feel will be a challenge throughout my career as a teacher to improve upon and ensure that all students are able to learn the best way for them. While these are only a couple of things we covered within this section of class, these are the topics that I felt I related with best and also want to instill within my classroom throughout my career.

            When it comes to my participation within the class, I feel that I participated enough to bring up good points along with asking questions that my classmates might have been thinking as well. I do feel like I did not over participate and take away from other classmates, but I do feel like in certain situations I could have talked more and possibly asked more questions. While I may have not always asked questions or answered questions, I feel like by listening to my classmates I took in a ton of information that is going to stay with me from now on. As it comes to relating participation to my teaching, I feel like my style as a student will transfer over to my teaching when it comes to being laid back, always willing to learn more, and wanting the best for everyone in the room. Even as a teacher I will know that while I may not always join right in on conversations, but I will be learning none the less and always be willing to take in more information.       

American Born Chinese

                At first when attempting to read this book I found myself often wandering as I have never attempted a graphic novel and struggled time to time. Having three narratives mixed into one could create a problem for anyone. I found that the individual pages were easy to read but the overall message I lost time to time because of the multiple times having to start and stop when reading it.  I also found myself very curious on how students would react to this story and if they would be able to keep up with it. I believe that many students would enjoy this book because it is so quick to get through, but some people might struggle through the lack of words and not being enticed by the story itself. While even I struggled at points, I know for certain students this would not be a top choice and may lose some of the class.

            When it comes to the story itself, by the title itself we could have guessed a lot of things going on and guessed at what is possibly to come. The fact that the three narratives are mixed in throughout helps with the feelings of how Jin does not fit in with the school he now goes to. He is constantly part of the unpopular crowd and sees himself as not fitting in which may relate with many students at any age. Fitting in may be one of the toughest things for students to do so the fact that this book uses that as a main point would help create some pretty interesting discussions and class opinions.

            My main sticking point with this story was how Jin in the end stuck with his best friend Wei-Chen and how he took Jin back after everything that happened. Best friends always stick together through thick and thin and in the end this is a similar story and is something that everyone should read about many times. The best friend view is also something that can be taught and expanded on that many students could relate within their own lives and use as a stepping stone for friendships. This book has great teaching points, I am just not sure the book would relate to everyone so the teacher would have to work hard to keep everyone happy and excited about this book. 

Romeo and Juliet

            Having read and dissected this a couple of times, I find “Romeo and Juliet” a classic and something that all students should have to read and possibly reread to get a real meaning out of. While looking online I found that this is an early work of Shakespeare’s and that I found pretty astonishing. I feel that for the depth and levels that this play dives into that this would be a masterpiece for most writers or play writes, but this is only the beginning for Shakespeare. Another thing is the timeframe this is written in makes it seem a lot more classy then most things we read and are written now. I understand that this is how English was written and spoken back in the day, but just reading this seems to be like an introduction to what class is.

            The reading of this tragic love story seems to go rather quickly, but I feel like it takes a while to dive into this play and find deeper meaning takes time. While I read this at younger ages, I feel like I did not understand most of the play and just brushed it off not thinking twice about it. I am interested to see how my fellow classmates decide to teach this and see if I can find ways to also use this book in classroom setting.

While reading this I found myself thinking more about Shakespeare’s works as a whole and thinking about if students really care about his work anymore. I know when I went through school that while we did have to read his work that I often times just sped through it, but does anyone really care anymore? I feel like a lot of us miss out on great works like “Romeo and Juliet” because of the language and how long ago it was written. I find myself constantly thinking about how to get kids, especially high school, to care about literature and what it can do for each of them. 

Part-Time Indian

            The first thing that struck me about this book is how close to home it hits for us and yet I had never even heard of the book or author. The fact that this book is under scrutiny as I discovered looking at some of the back story online did not strike me as odd, but I would still use this book within a classroom especially around here as it is so close to home and could relate to many kids throughout these school districts. While there is a lot of death and deep troubling problems within this book, I believe that the pros outweigh the cons and teaching this book has many upsides which we might possibly see throughout the lesson plans.

            When it comes to the story itself I was interested in reading about a Native American child in this situation because of how I have some Indian heritage throughout my family. Within the book I was not expecting all of the tragedies that Arnold was forced to face. All of these instances caught me off guard as I expected from the book something different. While this story takes on serious topics, the comedy gives relief from them and possibly helps with how children would be able to understand this book and possibly take time off from all of the tragedies. I found the story very tough as we learn about Arnold, because he has everything going against him. I did not expect things such as this to hold back Arnold before reading this book. He had everything going against him and that made this a very exciting book to read. The fact that Arnold transferred to a school full of rich white people puzzled me because while he is getting away from the reservation and all of those disadvantages, he seemed to have stepped right into more of those same dilemmas. I find it very noble that Arnold still can relate with his fellow friends from his former school. Arnold still has feelings such as after the basketball game where they defeat his former best friend Rowdy and Arnold weeps after seeing the sadness.

            This book portrays a child and going through unthinkable tragedies. I found myself constantly thinking how someone can keep going after experiencing all of this. I just could not imagine everything happening to me like this and still being able to make it day to day. Everything was set against Arnold within this story and I am not sure I could have made it.

Things Fall Apart

            When reading “Things Fall Apart,” what I struggled with most was the names of the characters and keeping them straight with whom they were connected with and everything they dealt with. Another situation I struggled with was all of the violence, especially the husbands towards their wives because the abuse of women has always been a never. Throughout this book I constantly compared how our cultures differed and the things I could not really compare to. This happens when Okonkwo compound is destroyed to cleanse the village of his sin which I found to be pretty intense. I guess it is hard to understand another person’s culture without actually being able to see it and be taught it. Understand the culture within this book was rather challenging and sometimes I think made it hard to focus.

            Once the white men came into the story and began to build a church and convert people to Christianity, this book felt like so many others where religion and a different way of living are being forced upon cultures that do not want to conform, yet end up changing and having it change them in the end.  The fact that the villagers did not fight for their customs and their way of life is quite hard to believe. I understand that fighting and war is not always a great solution, to protect a way of life and peoples culture it would be worth it to stand up and fight. Once Reverend James Smith became the head of the Christian Church and started being so strict, taking a stand and rebelling immediately at that point probably would have been the best thing to do. The fact that Okonkwo is the one to jump forward and take the head of one of the white men while no one else helps speaks volumes to how people are willing to fight for their culture even though he was not backed up in his efforts.

            I find it rather interesting that Okonkwo is the one to take a stand because of being exiled previously. I believe the fact that he is willing to take a stand and in the end give his life to attempt to save his culture and people is rather heartfelt and warming to know that he still fought for what he has known forever while everyone else stood by and watched their lives be changed forever. This story brought up the whole fight or flight thinking because either you stand up for what you believe or you watch everything change right in front of your eyes.     

TPA Lesson Plan

                From my first impression of looking at the TPA lesson plan, I found it a little intimidating. The fact that this is something we have to accomplish for every lesson becomes a bit of a large task. I have not had the pleasure of filling one of these out yet, but I feel like they are very detailed and will take a lot of time to fine tune and get down to a science, but I feel like they keep a very well detailed plan and give great direction to each day and where we want to take the class. I found it very interesting that the lesson plan was created by the University of California’s graduate school. I never would have expected that a school was so close to us that created something so important for schools to use on a daily basis.

                When looking at the framework it gave a great idea of how to break down the lesson plan. I never thought about having to break down the class by female and male numbers to decide what and how the lesson will go. I found the part about deciding about the students prior knowledge and skills to be a little bit hard to digest. I mean we have a basic understanding of what students are supposed to learn, but we have no knowledge of what actually the students have retained. The rest of the questions we need to reflect on under the “Context  for Learning” section seem pretty straight forward and what we have been discussing this entire class about our students and how to best teach them.

                I found each section to be a bit overwhelming as it went into such detail that it was a lot to take in all at once. I feel like it is so detailed because the children we teach we are shaping their future and what matters most is getting them the best education possible. I did enjoy the part talking about how we will assess what the kids learn because I never really thought about having to assess everything after teaching the lesson, but it makes sense. I believe that the children have just as much influence on deciding if the lesson was effective and can make all the different within a teacher’s lesson plan from what I have seen. 

Differentiated Instruction

                When searching through the internet for what differentiated instruction is, it is a way of teaching that allows students to acquire content in different ways. This method of teaching provides a way for all different types of learners to come to the same realization of certain topics and assignments. After all of my reading, differentiated instruction really spoke to the acknowledgment that there are different types of learners which this attempts to help out in various ways. Another area where this is an equalizer is in the ability area. With having different ways to learn and in turn us to teach these students it will create more equality among students and create more of an atmosphere at the same time.

                The article I looked at encourages us that are to become teachers that, “One size doesn’t fit all.” Carol Ann Tomlinson made that quote and it spoke to everything we have been discussing when it comes to getting all of our kids involved in class. The thinking that all students are going to learn something the same way is naïve and means you are not getting to know students within your class. Carol spoke to how each individual may be put in a class and an age range, but each student must be taken as an individual and figured out where there ability levels are and how they learn best. With differentiated instruction I believe it does make our job more detailed, but it is our job to do the best for our students and in turn get the best we can out of them.

                When it came to the English Language Arts portion of differentiated instruction, I found it to be pretty straight forward and what most teachers attempt to accomplish with their classrooms. I read about reading a variety of texts both written and found other places to help create a well rounded curriculum.  Other factors included were different time periods, different writing types, and using sever resources to discover facts and attain knowledge to name a few. Everything I read talked about using a wide variety of resources while teaching all different types of writing, reading, and informational texts. While reading all of this information it was as I expected and what I believe my teaching career will be like. I plan to use as many readings and writings as possible so that everyone including myself can learn throughout my teaching career. 

Comprehension Strategies

Tips for Reading a Poem

1.       Read the poem all the way through, twice.

For my poem I chose Robert Frosts, “The Road Not Taken.” I chose this poem because it is often used in a secondary education and is a very well written poem. Robert Frost uses great scenery to set up his poetry and relates to many different people on all levels of reading.

2.       Think about any background knowledge that you have that will help you connect to the people, animals, or objects in the poem.

Knowing many of Frosts poems I know that scenery will play a large role within this poem along with a person who is accompanied by a choice during this poem. I do have precious knowledge of this poem so I know what to expect within this poem. Frost often has a larger idea behind what he uses his people for and uses scenery to accompany the people within his poetry. Reading this poem we can relate to this individual because he is forced to make a large decision based on a road which can apply to all of our lives in one way or another. We all must choose a path in life and make choices to the best of our knowledge and not always choose the path that looks the easiest such as the person in this poem did.

3.       Try to make a picture in your head of what’s happening in the poem.

                While the paths do seem very similar as I read this poem I envisioned that it is not all about how different they look, but the choices we make which will help to change each of these paths for better or for worse.

4.       What do you think the poem is about?

I feel that this poem is about life and the choices that we make within our lives to help shape them. The two paths represent different ways that our lives can go and that maybe the easy path will not help us out in the long run. This poem is as if we sat down and wrote how our life is and possibly could have been. This poem makes us stop and think about our lives and maybe even choices to come in the future. I really enjoy this poem because every time I read it I get a different read slightly and it makes me rethink my life every time. I would like to use this in a classroom because it could make them think about choices and possibly choices to come in the future. The way people can look at this poem they can pull out so many tidbits of useful words, lines, and stanzas that can help each person in a different way and possibly help some where possibly we as teachers cannot.

5.       Textual evidence

Stanza 1 we see that there are two roads that we can choose from, but can not choose both. Talks about checking out each option and not rushing to a decision because there are underlying things to deliberate about.

Stanza 2 continues to deliberate between the two paths while still dissecting each to see which one looks like a better choice. Begin to notice in this stanza that the choice is not easy and that the path which looks the more worn may not be the best choice for everyone involved. Sometimes taking the other path may provide more useful.

Stanza 3 get to the fact that choosing one path may lead you down a road that you might not be able to come back from. This stanza gets back to the fact that the decision is one which needs much deliberation and must be taken seriously because it will have lasting affects on you.

Stanza 4 talks about how the person within the poem took the road less traveled and that changed everything for this person  and this is the work of all the deliberation helping to have made the choice and how he didn’t look back after making the choice. Sums up all of the stanzas by showing how the road less traveled worked out for him in this instance.

6.       Background knowledge

Before this time of dissection this poem I had read the poem several times and discussed it within different classes with several other people. I am pretty familiar with Frosts work and like a lot of his poetry this poem does not disappoint. Packed full of details and scenery that helps the reader through every line.  

I Read It, But I Don't Get It

                One of the first things that caught me when reading this book was the section talking about “fake reading.” I found this very interesting because I think almost everyone has had a time where this has occurred. The fact that a teacher was so open with his students about cheating on book reports and never having to read a full book spoke to the kind of relationships a student can have with their teachers. This teacher was so open with and knew what the kids were thinking that the students became excited about the class and the types of adventures they could have. The fake reading is something that I believe happens even in college and is something that almost every student deals with. We all are definitely not built equal when it comes to reading and every students finds different ways to deal with the reading tasks which this teacher understood.

                In chapter three I felt a strong connection with how the teacher was talking to the male students about looking up sports information and have discovering the information they were looking for are qualities of reading and being able to discover information.  Throughout my schooling, I have been one of the students that was mainly interested in sports and just did the school part so I could participate in these sporting events. In high school all that was important were sports. To be able to relate to students about how similar we all are will help others realize that we can all be very similar while different at the current time.

                In chapter five I found something that I also struggled with while reading especially in high school. Relating what I know to what I am reading and being able to what I read and attempting to make it relatable to me. When you can relate what you read to your life you can become more hooked and actually focus on the reading intently which can be so challenging with most readings. Reading is hard for so many of us that these first five chapters gave a lot of great ideas about reading and allowing us to see that teachers have struggled in the same areas that most of us have. I never thought about teachers possibly struggling at an area such as reading, but this book has really opened my eyes and shows how teachers are normal people also. How this teacher related to his students is how all of us hope we can relate our future students and create an atmosphere the same as teacher was able to do.

Response--Based Approach

                When reading this article it made me think about our class discussion today and how we talked about teaching English being a bonus because we can get the students to respond in such different ways while all of them being simultaneously correct.  When they spoke of teachers and how they felt out of sorts when students took conversations out of the realm they had created, I feel like part of the job now is being able to go outside of the lesson plan and ultimately be able to tie it all together. While I have not done many lesson plans or had the job of getting through one, I feel that with how things are shifting it may be a positive because I have the opportunity to begin my career with an open mind and be able to expect these circumstances.

                While reading through the “Horizon of Possibilities,” I realized that as teachers we are very similar to tour guides especially during literature where we can decide when and where to give input and help out the conversation without dictating it. The students in this instance can really feel like a part of the class and make decisive decisions for themselves, while also helping out the class. Being like tour guides, gives us as much a chance to listen and learn while still educating the children that the thought of running a classroom like that is very exciting.

                After reading this I found the part I enjoyed the most was where the article stated, “Their sense of the whole changes only when a substantial amount of countervailing evidence leads them to rethink how what they are reading or writing "holds together.”” I found this part the best because it is what I believe relates most with the children of today and can help them enjoy more of what they read.  I believe that what we have talked about with relating what we read to modern day things and also having the large group conversations leads to more students actually reading and being prepared to participate in the conversation thus helping them to learn more and be prepared for things to come in the future. Students often need motivation to read and to have them read and relate no matter what they relate it to will help them remember it and decide what their views are on it. 

Social Justice in Classrooms

                The article I chose to read made a very good point about what classrooms should be and how they will assist in creating a better learning environment for the students. The article I read talked about social justice being how teachers not only teach to the standard curriculum, but that curriculum should evolve to fit the students as well. My article stated, “…schools and classrooms should be laboratories for a more just society than the one we live in now. “ I took this as we must not let what holds back the children or makes them different outside of the classroom influence how we treat them inside the classroom and how everyone can be equals once they hit the classroom. Classrooms are supposed to be a safe place, a place built for learning. Social justice is not set up for one class, but rather universal throughout the classes and is meant to be applied so that every class in society has an equal chance in life.

                When applying social justice to classrooms, knowing that every student has an equal chance as given by not only the school district and staff as a whole, but individual teachers who are with the students every day. Social justice is important for our classes because to allow everyone to succeed you must create an environment beneficial to all students no matter their background or the classes they come from. All students deserve an equal chance to learn and learn as equals to all classmates in any classroom. Intelligence is not decided upon what class we are born in, but rather by how much we allow ourselves to learn and the opportunities we take to learn as much as possible.  As the article I read explained, our job in the classroom is to ask the important questions and get students to question the norms of society and individual problems we tackle. Getting students to believe in themselves no matter what class they come from is one of many incredibly hard tasks we will deal with, but in the end using the principle of social justice, we can run successful classrooms and attempt to make everyone feel equal.

                From all of my searching and looking at articles, social justice plays a large role in addressing our classes and how we can adjust things to allow everyone to become equals. If we keep an eye on things such as this, it will allow us to run a smoother classroom and make everyone on the same level. While there are things we can not change, making everyone feel as equals is one thing we can have an influence on.  

Popular Culture

                When reading the Pedagogical Practices section I was surprised to hear that there was such an in-depth look at Jonathan Kozol’s study into schools. I figured there had been studies done, but never knew who had done the study or really what they had looked at. I find myself becoming very curious about these areas that are poor and see how the struggle is in these schools. I feel like it would be a wakeup call to see these schools along with their teachers and see how the circumstances change. I believe it is very challenging to fill the gap that may be present from home and help the students succeed in the classroom. I also found it very cool how they compared the book with the film to give multiple view points and give everyone a chance to see two sides.

                A section that made me a little angry was the beginning of the “Teaching hip hop music and culture” section because of how it characterized certain people and tried to pin it on the hip hop music. I at first just read the beginning and could not believe what I was reading. Once I saw that they did break down and attempt to create a way for everyone to get involved, I understood more of the reading and began to understand why this section began the way it did. The way the teacher related music to poetry was very inspiring as I might not have though to include kids by mixing and matching the poem along with hip hop music to assist the learning experience.

                I also enjoyed Dewey’s look at how teachers should choose both methods of teaching when it comes to classical curriculum along with curriculum based on students and what they have gone through. I believe that what Dewey is saying helps with the shift we are having to Common Core State Standards and how our curriculum is changing. Dewey seems to have been able to see far into the future and understand what we would be going through as teachers and even students. The Implications section spoke a lot to me because we will be dealing with this on a regular basis and some of us on a daily basis.

Critical Pedagogy: A Look at the Major Concepts

                While reading this the first thing I enjoyed was the “empowerment” of students and their setting themselves up to grow and learn. I took this as being teachers that we can not only teach students but give them the tools to help themselves further their learning and the want to learn. I can relate to the fact about allowing to children to become what they want and not forcing them into any field or what they wish to learn. I feel like our school system allows for people to become what they want no matter of their background or circumstances, it all relies on dedication and an individual’s choice to how hard they want to work. 

                Jumping to the “Forms of Knowledge,” I agree that knowledge is measured in the similar ways such as standardized tests and such which are discussed, but I also think some knowledge goes beyond what tests can detect. I believe that while we have to teach towards tests and to help children excel, I believe challenging students think deeper and more critical is a far better test and allows them to discover themselves more than any test score will do. I see teaching as not teaching towards a test bust challenging students especially on literature and things of that nature to dive deeper and choose for themselves on what the deeper meaning is and how they can support their arguments.

                A third category I found very interesting was “The Hidden Curriculum,” I found this very interesting because it speaks to what I was talking about with the doing more than teaching to the test and all of the underlying circumstances that come with teaching. I found it very interesting that the teacher, school, and many other things go into this curriculum and I had never thought that deeply about this situation. I always thought that the school and probably the district would have views in certain things that the teachers would need to do, but nothing like I imagined within this section. After reading this section, it made me wonder what else goes unforeseen for us practicing to become teachers and what we might experience once we are teachers.

                This article was very in depth and gave me a great idea on certain things that are to come and what I would like to accomplish as a teacher. This article also made me very curious on what I am going to experience as a teacher and how I wish I could see what is going to happen. All of this deep thinking and how these articles look at certain topics makes me wonder how often these things come up while teaching.   

Pedagogy of the Oppressed Ch. 2

                Immediately when reading this chapter I think back to the Common Core State Standards we discussed and how our roles of teachers are changing from purely lecturing to becoming guides and inspiring conversation among the large group. How the students are described as “receptacles” is quickly changing in the classes today due to us as teachers looking to inspire large group conversations and get the students to not only take in what we say and be able to reiterate it, but be able to think deeply and come to their own decisions and realizations on certain topics.

                While reading this chapter it spoke volumes to how we have discussed that not only the students learn, but us as teachers are learning from students simultaneously. I feel that as we learn from our students we can adjust lesson plans for the future and figure out how to best navigate discussions while not overtaking the conversations and forcing our views on others. I feel that through the years my best teachers and professors have been able to give differing views and opinions while not forcing their own on us as a class and allowing us to think and make these decisions for ourselves. While it is important to educate the youth of today, they can educate us at the same exact time.

                Throughout this chapter I was able to relate to the learning through discovery rather than a teacher just giving you information and be able to regurgitate it as many of our high school experiences have been.  To learn for one ’s self is to truly understand and be able to teach others about your discoveries.  Deciding to learn and being dedicated to educating yourself will forever pay dividends as no one can take an education away from you. This is how this chapter spoke to me and assured me that as a teacher to help educate is my job, but it is not the job to overshadow all of the students and not allow them to learn on their own.

                Freire helped me discover how being a guide through the educational process will help the students more in the long run as the students must want not only to learn, but to intake all of the information necessary to make educated decisions and be ready for not only class but life. Helping to educate the students of today will help their future no matter if they are looking to become more educated through higher education, or joining the workforce and deciding to take what they have learned and use it that way. Each individuals path is their own choice and we are here to help enrich their experience.  

Pedagogy of the Oppressed Ch.1

                When it came to reading this chapter on “Pedagogy of the Oppressed,” I found myself struggling with what the chapter was attempting to say. I stumbled over several words and found myself going very slow due to the wordiness of some sentences. Mainly what ran through my mind is what the author, Paulo Freire, must have gone through to write something of this nature. I found myself constantly thinking of the common groups of people who had been oppressed back in the day, such as the Jews and The Native Americans. This chapter seam to paint a very vivid picture as to the cruelty and what happens to the oppressed.

                As this chapter continued on, I felt like I became much more involved and almost wondered what had happened to the author to write something of this nature. I became fascinated with how he decided to word certain things and describe both the oppressed and the oppressors. One of the best lines I read is when he discusses how freedom is not free and we must fight for it, which really strikes home and reminded me of nine eleven and how we had to defend our country after that terrible day.

                As I continued to read this chapter I did not find answers, but rather many questions which I feel will be talked through in class and possibly answered by classmates. Most of my questions were formed by the author and possibly because I do not understand his past or why he has decided to write something this deep and troubling. I felt I struggled with the depth of this chapter because I have never encountered something of this magnitude. I found myself struggling to compute everything I read about this chapter as I struggled to put everything together after reading this chapter.

                This chapter was very intense and a struggle to get through, yet reading this chapter felt very heartfelt and was one I am glad I read. The chapter was chalked full of great lines and an in depth look at a topic I would not normally look at, but after reading it have a new look at the oppressed and the oppressors.  

Common Core State Standards

               When it comes to the Common Core State Standards, I focused mainly on the reading literature section from ninth grade all the way to twelfth grade. I focused on this as my major is secondary English education and the high school is where I am likely to work.

                I found that when it came to the standards and what was expected of high school students that there was a lot I already knew but I guess went unsaid throughout my high schools years. Things such as recognizing themes, identifying points of view, and discovering textual evidence within the readings among many others. While these things remain unsaid many times, all of the work we did and currently do throughout college only strengthen these and can help us as we become ready to teach. After reading these standards I realized that all of the things we wondered if we would ever use in everyday life, we will use to accomplish these standards and teach the children in our classes.

                With all of the standards I read, I felt they were pretty basic and what I expected was more detailed looks at what must be covered and accomplished by us as teachers. I expected there to be more in each section of what must be accomplished and how us as teachers must teach the curriculum to get the most out of every lesson. After reading these Common Core Standards I feel like everything we have accomplished in college is just a more detailed look at what high school kids must know. Yet while the standards are so basic in nature I find that there might be a challenge when choosing how we as teachers convey the material in hope that the children have the best learning possible.

                After reading all of the Common Core State Standards, I feel like I have a much better look at how I might attempt teaching along with a better outline on what I will be attempting to teach once I have graduated. While I was not sure what to expect when reading these standards, I found that the basic idea of it all translates really well and is almost something we know, but have never had written out and broken into sections for us to see. These standards provide a good challenge of what we will be attempting to accomplish with all of the children in out classes.   

Discussion in a Democratic Society

When it came to reading “Discussion in a Democratic Society,” I found myself constantly thinking about how to remain neutral in a conversation while still sparking a heated debate about topics such as the DNR situation located in the beginning of this piece. A majority of the great teachers I have had find ways to always be neutral and not give away their personal feelings on a given topic. I believe that while teaching some of the hardest things to do is going to be remaining neutral while still inspiring students to talk and share all of their opinions to help spark a deep conversation.

On page four I found a quote that I found very inspiring and possibly something that gets overlooked from time to time. Richard Rorty states, “As long as conversation lasts, there is hope for agreement, or, at least, exciting and fruitful disagreement.” What I mean by it gets overlooked, is that often when people disagree now there will be fallout in conversation or no attempt to reach an agreement. I realize that when topics are very controversial that there will always be differing opinions, but often it seems that there is never enough people willing to listen to the other side to possibly reach an agreement or possibly even provide enough facts to prove their side is correct. Discussions often break down and turn into public disputes in which nothing becomes accomplished and the problems at hand are not solved.

While reading this the section that stuck out to me was titled “Hope.” This title stuck out to me because I realize that as long as there is hope there is a chance that things can be solved or possibly at least affected in a positive way possibly. Hope is something that can be personal while also being a part of a group which I find to be exciting because as we are looking to become teachers we will be involved in children’s lives on a daily basis both individually and as a group, so instilling hope will be a big factor in our job and how we may attempt to get our teachings across. While our jobs are going to be to educate children with our daily lessons, we can also change children’s lives by encouraging and challenging them to better themselves while pushing them to see what can happen.

As a whole this article really made me think about how to apply all of these sections to teaching while remaining neutral on tough topics and yet still be able to inform on both sides of a situation. Having this article use philosophers from the past reminded me how we can always learn from the past and possibly help the future at the same time. After reading this I look forward to in depth conversations and all of the challenges that they bring with them.    

Introductory Letter Assignment

Hi my name is Todd Harr and my major is English Education. I am going into secondary education hoping to not only teach high school but to also coach sports simultaneously. I may possibly minor in coaching depending on how the classes align with my education classes. When it comes to coursework and experience that is relevant to this class I find myself having minimal experiences. All of my experiences have been during my three years here at Eastern, along with running sports practices all the while. I believe that running sports practices has prepared me for this class because we are forced to create practice plans which are similar to writing plans when it comes to teaching and running the classroom. When it comes to strengths and weaknesses I feel that there are always things that need to be worked on along for both our strengths and especially our weaknesses. My strengths I believe are being open to new things, always striving to better myself while learning more to educate others, and being willing to listen to others to better my teaching methods. When it comes to my weaknesses I would say experience is a large weakness as I have not student taught or viewed any classes to this point. Other weaknesses would be that I get pretty nervous before public speaking, but I believe that will change as time goes on and I have more experience being in front of a classroom and delivering the material.  When it comes to what I want to accomplish in this course, I want to learn how to not only read a book, but to find the deeper meaning and be able to deliver that to the class as if I was the teacher. I also am looking forward to writing lesson plans as I have not had the opportunity to this point of making lesson plans. A major point where I look to learn a lot is from my fellow classmates in this class. I believe that many of my classmates have a lot more experience and familiarity with teaching and I can learn a lot from all of their knowledge. I look forward to a great quarter and all of the challenges that come with this class.