Fifth Teaching Reflection

Wow tonight's class seemed LOONNNNNNNNGGGG! Oh well, it at least gave me an idea to ponder for my teaching reflection....

I find that many students assume their instincts to be wrong. They fail to trust their ability to reason, to think... which is unfortunate when considering how detrimental self-doubt can be. Thinking back about various students who I've mentored over the years, I have peace of mind in realizing that I praised them when their logic served them well, and helped them see the flaws in their thinking when they got off-track. Sometimes I even cheered (literally!) when they got something right after struggling with it.

So with this idea of self-doubt, I must say that I believe acquiring an ability to think through problems -- be they economic or political or social or personal problems -- is critical to gaining self-confidence. In all actuality, as students and teachers, we must realize that there is more to life than economics and pragmatic reasons for why we should attend college. The simple question of: "What should I major in? My parents want me to major in business," should be answered with: follow your heart. Figure out what you love, what makes you tick, what turns you on, and major in that.... it took me a long time to figure this out. Even though we hear so many complaints about budget cuts and wage rates lowering in academe, I can say that I am extremely HAPPY to know that I can make a difference AND make a decent living while I'm at it. My research and writing will be so beneficial in the long run.

Life is too short to not do what you love... and somehow in all of this, I teach them life lessons. One student said what he really admired was how I "carried" myself and that I was fun. If I think about it long enough (even with all of the self-doubt pooling around in my brain) I can say that I am confident in these few areas and satisfied with the realization that I've found the niche I've been searching for.

This is exciting and I realize that my collaboration with students will continue to further my confidence as a teacher. Together we (myself and students) are able to think through the perplexing political and social problems of the day, we disagree, we figure out why, and we don't feel a need to belittle each other because of our disagreement. BOOYA!

Ok, I'm out for now.