End of the Semester...

As the end of the semester came closer, I began to think of everything I learned and realized thus far about myself, public education, and teaching in general. I realized that being a teacher is truly a job that is rewarding. It is awesome to actually get into a classroom and be able to shape and mold students towards a better future. I learned all the good (and sometimes the bad) things about public education such as NCLB, Demographics, how "Portrait of a Teacher" affects us, etc.

I was able to meet alot of great people at Arts High in Newark, and take in alot of advice and experience from them. I appreciate everything they did for me this semester and was glad to see how open they were to all the Montclair students. In particular, the teacher I observed was awesome. She was so willing to help and eager to answer all my questions. The time I spent in her classroom was great! She helped me learn about teaching and the public school system. Most importantly she taught me about her students and showed me what it means to her to be a teacher and mentor to all of them.

As far as for me, I learned that the classroom is definetely where I want to be. I was able to do alot of substituting for my high school in the last few months, and loved it. I love being able to relate to the students and hopefully give them something to look forward to when they come to school. I learned alot about first year teachers through my inquiry project and know that although it won't always be easy, it's still what I want to do. This course and this year in general has opened my eyes even more into the world of teaching, and I couldn't be happier.