Monday, December 10, 2012

Summative Reflection

The one thing that I will treasure most from my experience in this class is the opportunity to be a part of such an extraordinary community of learners. I am so inspired by all the ideas of my classmates, and I'm sure I will spend a good part of the break trying to organize and collect them all. The sparks are flying and I'm struggling to get all my ideas down in my journal. So, a big thanks to all of you for your brilliance!

All that being said, the best way I can summarize what I gleaned from this class is that it has offered me the daily bread of teaching. Last semester I embarked on this program by jumping right in to the deep end and taking a class aimed at the overarching philosophies and theories which guide our curriculum development. It was eye opening and invigorating, but I was eager to get to the nuts and bolts of what teaching is like in the day to day. Most of my classmates were experienced teachers and I felt I was lacking that first hand knowledge that allowed them to apply the theoretical material we were encountering with wisdom and insight.

This class has offered me a number of practical tools and copious opportunities for first hand encounters with students. With these tools and experiences in the pocket of my smock, I am able to begin building my identity as a teacher. Even though it has probably been the most challenging aspect of this experience, I have truly appreciated the art-making opportunities provided by this class as well. I've really been out of practice for so long and this class has helped me to better understand the meaning and direction of my own work. I can't wait to take it forward along side most of you in the studio thinking class next semester. Because of this class I feel an increased sense of confidence and I am looking forward, more than ever, to going forward with my own development as a teacher, and as an artist.

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