Learning Letter

Dear Dr. Agriss,

I have been able to learn so many things from taking your class this quarter. Because of the book talks, unit plans, class discussions, and the readings, I feel more confident in my journey to becoming a teacher. At first, I was a little skeptical on this class and what it would entail but I am glad it is a requirement because this class was quite impactful.

The work I have completed in this class was quite tedious. The book talks were not as bad workwise, but they still took a lot of time and consideration when creating them. Although I got good grades on both book talks, the part that I struggled with was the teaching ideas. I never quite got the hang of what was actually needed in that section and was always docked a point or two from it. Altogether though the book talks were really helpful because it forced me to get into that mindset of a teacher and to explain why a book is worth reading and having in the classroom which was incredibly useful. The unit plans, although incredibly helpful, were the hardest things I have ever done. Probably not the hardest, but for sure the most tedious. I have never had to turn in so many drafts before finally getting one approved before. Although these were a ton of work, I do feel a little more confident in completing a lesson plan. I am not sure what my grade will be for this unit plan, but I feel as though I have improved a ton since the beginning of the quarter when a first draft of one was due. I had gone from having eleven pages for one lesson plan and down to four for all of them, and I was really excited about this.

As for the theories and concepts that were explored in class, I definitely learned a ton from the readings. There were so many new ideas about teaching and how to teach that I would never have even thought of had it not been for this class. There was one article however that I did not understand when I read it and am still confused about. It was the “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” and I just never got the hang of what was being said, even through the discussions. My favorite readings were the reading that talked about ways of assessing students other than through taking tests or the “I Read It, But I Don’t Get It.” These texts I found to be very helpful and I plan on implementing a lot of things that were discussed in these readings into my own classroom.

I really enjoyed this class. Especially the discussions. Through the discussions, I learned that although I may not participate in much of the discussions, I was constantly listening and learning from my classmates. This has ultimately helped me to become aware that I really want my classes to be discussion and journal heavy so I can really listen to my students and hear/read what they have to say about a reading or a lesson. I realized that even though I could have/should have joined in the discussion because I did have thoughts, perhaps it was not always necessary for me to talk. I learned way more through listening than I would have through talking just to say that I participated.

Overall I really enjoyed your class. It has ultimately made me even more excited for becoming a teacher. Even though I would have to say that the unit plan is the worst thing about your class, it is still the most beneficial part of it. Your class has not only prepared me for furthering my journey into becoming a teacher, but also prepared me for the EdTPA that must be completed to receive a teaching certificate. I truly have your class to thank for helping me to become more confident in how to teach literature and how to create a unit plan (or at least attempt to create a good one). So thank you.

Sincerely,

Sade Aribibola

Night

Night by Elie Wiesel was a great read. My youngest brother actually had just read it last year in his eighth grade english class and told me to read it with him so I did. I think that this book is perfect for middle schoolers and high schoolers. Especially eighth grade through tenth grade. I would stop the book at the tenth grade level just because the book was such an easy read. However, if the book was to be used for discussion topics, then I think that older ages would put this book to great use.

Some challenges that can be foreseen with this book is that it has a lot of derogatory terms, it talks a lot about the bible, and it touches on a lot of extremely sensitive topics. Although the things that I just listed were used as challenges, I think that they could also be the books strengths. I think that it is important to open students up to reading about the struggles that many people had to face. I think that it is important to discuss such sensitive topics in order to enlighten students and to make students more sensitive to not only their peers but to the world around them. Some teaching ideas that could be used with this book is something I previously mentioned which are discussions. I think that this book offers a lot of great discussion topics, however every discussion would have to be very intensely and carefully monitored. Another thing that could be done with this book is an essay. My brother had to write an essay on this book and I think that writing about what was just read is an excellent way to sort of vent. Because of this, I would also probably include journals with this reading.

I really enjoyed reading this text and think that a lot of people could benefit from reading this text. Honestly, this book was my favorite read even though I have read it before I had sort of forgotten about it and its content. I really enjoyed this book.

Into the Wild

I really enjoyed reading Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. I have read it before while I was in middle school for an assignment. The book was not part of the curriculum but it was on a list of choices that my teacher had allowed us to pick from and I had recently watched the movie. I think that this book is a great book to use in the classroom. I especially liked that this is a true story. I think that this text could be best used in both middle school and high school. There is references to drugs, some sexual content, and some strong language which is why I think that it should be used in the high school due to the mature content and although those are some challenges that could be foreseen with parents and administrators, but I think that it could easily be explained the importance of the use of it.

Some teaching ideas that could be done with this text is to analyze how the relationship between father and son influence choices. There could be a discussion on the use of symbolism with the scenery used and described in this text. Something else that could be discussed is the allure of wilderness within this text. I think that this text could be used greatly within this text. There is a ton of literary elements that could be used as a lesson for students and how those literary elements contribute greatly to the text as a whole.

Overall, I think that this book is a great book to use within the classroom, not only because of the story itself, but also the book as a whole. There are just so many things that could be done with this text and it is a very enjoyable and easy read.