Autobiographical Reflection

As a fairly new teacher, I don’t have many professional teaching experiences to recount. I teach 6th grade ELA in a poor, socio-economic district where every student has access to free lunches. Many of our students show little regard for authority and resist the idea of having to spend most of their day sitting in a classroom. I have found that possessing classroom management skills is a priority and must be established right away. My education did not adequately prepare me for students who have difficulty thinking without having a digital device to do their thinking for them. I believe there are several factors that can share the blame for the fact that students are losing the art of creating and writing.

Teaching new concepts can be a monumental task. I recall when I started a unit teaching literary element and how difficult it was to pass on the concept of a story plot. I used several different strategies to show them how plot works throughout a story.  I have asked myself, how many ways can I explain so they (students) gain an understanding? Do my lessons make sense? Is it me…am I in the wrong profession?

Then it happens! That moment when a student looks at you and you see a glimpse of understanding and a hint of a smile. A few students start asking questions and, suddenly, a discussion begins. Not just any discussion, either; one that relates to the topic at hand! Test scores are slowly on the rise and the mood of the class is lighter and a bit more animated. That’s when I knew I chose the right profession; to prepare today’s kids to be the innovative thinkers and doers for their world.

One of the obstacles I have encountered as an educator is the implementation of various programs that are intended to aid us as we teach our students. These programs are intended for intervention and would be wonderful; however, for the past four years I have been introduced to as many programs. I have voiced my concern, expressing how frustrating it is to go from one intervention program to another without the benefit of being able to properly ascertain if the program is a “keeper.” I have also suggested that we use more Project Based Learning during our intervention time. Project Base Learning (PBL) is a way of teaching that uses a type of “backward design.” I can plan a unit by figuring out what my outcome should be and design projects and lessons to help in reaching the desired outcome. I didn’t think, at first, that I would like to do PBL’s because of the difficult time I had with them as a student. Creativity and doing projects have never been my strong suit, so when I say that even I can do this, I really mean it! My goal right now is to convince my principal that offering this type of project based learning is a great way to assess if students are learning.

Although I have not been teaching for a long time, I believe I have experienced enough to realize that one of the ways to gain a certain amount of control is to allow the students some freedom to accomplish learning goals. Project-based learning is one way to achieve this type of educational freedom. Allowing students to work on projects that engage them will also help reduce many classroom behavioral problems. In my opinion, it is a win-win solution!