Writing

I started writing a book today. Finally. This has been a goal in my life for a long time now, and not to say that I haven't "started" a novel before, but I'm actually getting serious about this thing. My life throughout college has really honed my writing skills, but so far all I've done is write a lot of papers. In these papers has been a lot of reflection, yes, sure, but there has been limited creativity. I used to write short stories when I was a kid, usually random things sometimes based on my life or based on something I read in a book. I always thought I could be a writer when I grew up. Now that I'm at that point in my life, however, it's a lot scarier. I'm not so sure that I have the same level of creativity now that I did when I was little. I've spent so much time writing papers that I still often think in that same format when I open a word document. Starting to write a book is a scary thing, but I think it's also going to be a crazy wonderful adventure. Below are some questions and ideas that I will be (hopefully) addressing in this book. And who knows, maybe one day it will be published.

Who and what influences us as young people?

What is inspiring?
Does life get better?

How do we prevent suicide?

How do we promote equality?

What gives life meaning? ... What about God?

What is LOVE?

In looking at each character, the question comes up: what does he/she know? what does he/she believe? What kinds of past/present experiences shape him/her?

Do people have the same experiences with different outcomes?

How are we alike? How are we different?

Insecurities vs. Confidence

Happy or depressed?

Hope vs. wish

Perceptions of others vs. the truth of others vs. perceptions of ourselves

How do we know what we know about the world? about others?

Education is Life

I've been a substitute teacher for about four months now. I thought that maybe this experience would've changed me more than it has, but I still feel like the same person with the same teaching philosophy. I've come to respect teachers more now, and substitute teachers especially. Yet, I don't think I've learned a large overarching lesson about classroom management or anything like that. The tactics that subs have to use are very different from those that regular teachers use. Reading Teaching with Love and Logic as at least shown me that. More than ever, I know that building working relationships with students is key if you want to manage a classroom and, more importantly, become a true influence in their lives.

There have been a few great moments in which I've connected with a student or realized that all of this is worth it because I'm on my way to becoming a real teacher. One of those moments was today, when I got to work with some students one-on-one and in small reading groups. They were third and fourth grade special education kids, and while I don't want to be an elementary school teacher or a special education teacher, I realized today why I want to be a teacher. I love working with students, pointing them in the right direction, and watching them learn. Those are the teaching moments that I value and they are the moments that I don't get as a substitute teacher.

Here is an excerpt from my pedagogic creed that I wrote for the College of Education:

What I believe about teaching and education has a lot to do with what I believe about life. I believe that there is more to life than going to work, making money, and paying taxes. In the same way, I believe that there is more to education than getting good grades, graduating, and getting a good job. John Dewey, an educational reformer in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century wrote, “Education is not a preparation for life; education is life itself.” I agree with Dewey: education is not merely a means to an end – that end being either good grades or a good job. Education is a life style. I am constantly learning and gathering information throughout my daily life, my education is my life.