Zacharii Currie

Final Reflective Essay

It is hard not to feel like this semester has flown by. I think this has to do with the way
this class is structured and the way it allows us to incorporate ourselves into our work. One of
my favorite things about this class is how each assignment encourages us to utilize our specific
qualities in our approach. It has influenced me to really figure what kind of teacher I want to be.
The daybook is pretty solid reflection of this course. We use it put our thoughts and feelings on
paper and manifest our creativity. Our daybooks reflect our personalities in the same way our
teaching approach reflects our ideals. I learned a lot of about discovery. I think discovery is
synonymous with this course. I discovered a lot about myself and the amount of focus and
specificity that exists in this program. What I mean by specificity ishow important it is to
avoid being too broad. I constantly found myself trying to cover too much ground in my
assignments. I would try to vaguely tackle argumentative writing as an entire genre in 15 minutes
instead of dissecting an incredibly smaller subgenre like deductive reasoning. I realized that
spending considerable amounts of time focusing on the smaller parts is what really enlightens
learners. To understand something, it must be presented in a manageable form. It has to be
packaged in a way that invites questions and sparks interest. There is no room for vagueness in
teaching. Vagueness creates bad habits that encourage a lack of explanation. This daybook is my
own creative attempt to grasp the roots before climbing the tree. In some of the scribblings in this
daybook, youd find a 24 year old university student discovering new information in assignments
designed for 5th graders. This is why our profession is reflected in this little artistic journal.
Teaching involves an exchange of knowledge. This misconception is that the learning is onesided, but learning happens naturallywere only supposed to guide it. I used the daybook for
many different things: I collected information, completed assignments, participated in mini-

Zacharii Currie

lessons, drew pictures, wrote poems, and of course, borrowed paper for other classes on days I
forgot the appropriate notebook. Its filled with random, pointless work-slips and handouts. I
prefer the pointless, messy nature of it though. Its kind of like a literary picture-album.
I thoroughly enjoyed putting together the e-portfolio. I felt like I was creating a Myspace
in 8th grade again. Ive realized that the ability to be creative encourages people to do things. The
artistic aspect of the e-portfolios camouflaged the organization of it. As one who struggles with
organization, I really need to figure out how to use this approach to improve organization in
other facets of my life. The e-portfolio also encouraged me to make sure that every individual
assignment was completed. I wanted to make sure I wasnt missing anything that subtracted from
the quality of the e-portfolio as a whole. I went back and fixed grammatical errors in assignments
from February (though, Im sure there are plenty more.) The e-portfolio is a complete reflection
of our semester and assignments. It can be used to witness improvement and growth. It can also
be referenced once we start teaching which is its most important attribute. A course is always
more beneficial when it incorporates content directly associated with the profession itself.
This is one of the few courses that I have taken that really helped me feel like I was
edging closer to a career in education. I felt like I was in career-training at times--which is
important because it reinforces the interpretation of progression. I also felt more involved with
my classmates and viewed them as peers in the field. I also felt like I was perceived as such. The
regularity of collaboration also contributed to the professional aspects of the course. I constantly
benefitted from another persons take on things. I often found myself one-dimensional in
observations. This course has ultimately solidified my sense of purpose in this program and
realigned my focus. I feel much more involved and relevant. I hope that way this course
approaches participants is adapted into earlier stages of the program.