Final Reflection Paper

Christina Allen
Argosy University
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In reflecting upon this course, I feel I have grown personally and as an educator in so many ways.

As each learning module was completed, I gained knowledge which has helped shape new viewpoints

for me as an educator. Through collaboration with the instructor, Dr. Suprina, classmates, other

teaching professionals and students I met while guest teaching, I learned what my strengths and my

weaknesses are. I have also developed a plan to strengthen my weaker areas.

In my discussions,readings and assignments, I learned the importance of a teaching portfolio in

maintaining professionalism and staying current with technology. My portfolio will also serve as a

reminder to fill in the lacking areas as I continue on my educational journey. While I created my

teaching philosophy, I reconnected with my earlier educational memories and realized the impact

nurturing teachers had on my own teaching style. I also clarified my many roles for example as an

advocate and role model. While designing my course on the Human-Animal Bond, which I thoroughly

enjoyed, I learned the importance of creating learning objectives that aligned with standards and were

specific to the course. During my guest teaching and observations, I learned to be careful of biases,

show enthusiasm, be prepared for class, know your material, and teach creatively to match students

learning styles. I also learned through my readings to be careful to not get stuck in teaching only for

the learning style I personally have. I must consider my students learning styles in order to effectively

communicate the curriculum objectives. The Power Point assignment taught me to teach creatively and

that I need to brush up on my Power Point skills! The discussion post on how to deal with challenging

students helped me view these students in a different light. I now see challenging students as an

opportunity to sharpen my teaching skills and serve as a role model for students who may be teachers

themselves in the future. By responding in a calm and nurturing manner, I can show there is a positive

way to handle potentially inflammatory situations. The challenging student is a lot like the involuntary

client in a counseling relationship. For many reasons, they may not want to be in your classroom and

there are several strategies to show them you care about their success. By fostering a trusting alliance
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and making the course material relevant for the student, it is possible to reach the challenging student.

I learned to discourage cheating on exams by including critical thinking essay questions. I also learned

a variety of ways to handle cheating without embarrassing the student, such as declaring at the

beginning of class that I will deduct points on their papers should I witness cheating and sitting in the

back of the room.

My experience in this course, made me feel confident in my abilities as an educator and that I am

not alone. The listserv we connected to has provided informative resources and has shown me there is

an online community to network with should I have a challenging situation or question. This is

comforting to me as a someone who is new to the field of higher education. It was refreshing to view

the work of others and see we have the same struggles and can learn from one another's experiences.

My beliefs have been influenced by this course. I feel the most powerful moment for me was during

the classroom observations. When I witnessed the professor treating students differently by

embarrassing one for his laptop use and not another, this created a memory for me to ensure I treat my

students fairly and equally. I am by nature a curious person and love to learn however, this course

demonstrated even further the importance of staying current in my practices by networking and reading

the latest research. These practices will ensure I am providing optimal and current teaching practices

for students.

This course has also clarified my areas that need to be strengthened. I feel I need to continue to

research how to create effective assessments. This was a weak area for me and I struggled. I also need

to join more professional organizations. I have an improvement plan in the works for my weaker areas.

I plan to become certified as an Animal-Assisted therapist and add this to my vita along with joining

Chi Sigma Iota and the Delta Society. I have applied to be a candidate for licensure with my local

licensing board and have been accepted. My next step is obtaining a supervisor and planning for my

practicum experience.
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I would like to finally add how this course has affected me personally. I feel the assignments were

challenging due to my other obligations in life. However, I would not have wanted my experience to

be any different! Making time to plan for my observations and guest lecturing, taught me that I can do

this! I enjoyed planning and teaching at our local community college. This was my first experience in

the higher education classroom and I proved to myself I can be an effective teacher in this field.

Practicing self-care also came to the forefront for me. As I juggled my responsibilities I had to pay

attention to my nutrition, of course chocolate remained a staple, my exercise and my spirituality. I

include my connections with my children, siblings, friends, and dog as part of my spirituality too. I

made time to play and connect with others to relax. In the future, as an educator in higher education, I

plan to share the message of the importance of self-care with students. It is easy to get caught up in our

hectic lives and lose perspective and there are simple ways to take care of ourselves and relax.

I would like to say thank you to all of you for contributing to my knowledge, giving me the

opportunity to share with you and I wish everyone the absolute best on their continued journey!