Whatever the Future May Hold
By Alyssa Moon
It is hard for anyone to guess where they may end up in a years’ time. The opportunities that may arise are endless, and the path that we travel is one that is built on a series of decisions. When I decided to take classes through Michigan State University, I made a choice to take classes in a venue I had never experienced before. Online learning is not the same as face to face instruction. It took a few classes, and instructors, for me to realize that all online classes are not created equal. Through my experiences, I learned many skills that will help me in my future as an online, or more likely blended learning, instructor. I have already used an online forum to accommodate my classes for students who need more of a challenge than the in class environment was giving them. As I move in to the future, I hope to do this more frequently.
I have found technology to be a bit of a challenge in my everyday teaching, in the sense that our school has very little of it, and is on a network that crashes or freezes quite frequently. I would love to utilize blogging on a regular basis – having different blog topics available for comment, and by using the online forum; I would save myself quite a bit of money that I would normally use buying notebooks for this purpose. In the future, I would also enjoy utilizing the many features Google has to offer in order to have students collaborate on projects, and learn some of the essentials of a world that is heading toward a much more paperless future. All in all, the many skills I have acquired through my online learning has greatly impacted the way I think about the institution of learning, and how teaching is likely to be accomplished in the future.
As for my teaching in the traditional sense, I know that what my students need most are the essentials. They need someone to be there for them, to make sure that they feel safe, and can be heard. I will continue to provide what I can for them, while teaching them the necessary skills for life. I will use different literacy tests, in addition to the ones I currently use, in order to get the students involved in their own learning. In the past, I have used the testing for my own purposes, to find a starting point for each of my students. However, the more I think about the way that I learn, and the way that my classes are run, I know that I benefit from feedback. Now, my students get feedback on assignments and such, but to them this is after the fact, many of them are no longer interested in the details. When it comes to their reading scores though, that can be something they can check on every few weeks, and I give them specific activities to help with their literacy level. This may help me to get a certain amount of buy in from my struggling students.
The other focus area that I will continue to work on is in the world of coaching. I’m a newcomer to the profession. I have one season f experience under my belt, and a lot that I would like to implement. I want to try out new strength training drills, and some pre-season conditioning and I’d like to see the team come together and cheer each other on. Coaching is not an easy task, and when it comes to coaching males and females at the same time, it can become even more complicated. I look forward to using what I have learned about the way different genders compete, and how they build muscles and skills as I move forward in my coaching career. I would also like to utilize the nutrition and training schedule information I have learned to educate my student athletes on how to be healthy while we are in season, and also when we are not.
In the area where I work, the students don’t always have positive role models. They don’t always come from a home with parents who are involved; some don’t come from a home with parents at all. For many of the students in my area, sports are not only an outlet, but an opportunity. An opportunity to be a part of something, to get the attention and sense of belonging they may not be getting elsewhere. It is important that I remember that as I move forward, away from forums where I have other coaches who talk to me about these topics weekly.
In order to make sure that I am doing my best to make my students citizens of the world, I hope to engage my students in more activities within their community. This goes for both my students in class, and the students I have on my team. Through service projects, my classes and athletes may begin to see one another as the people they are, and not just the people they are perceived to be while at school. They also begin to see that the world is larger than the school, and that there are other people going about their lives outside the school walls, and that these people are important too.
In addition to teaching and coaching, I am also an advisor. I hope to continue doing this in the future. I will continue to help plan fundraising, working with parents and other teachers, and putting together events. The students deserve to have someone making sure that there are special activities going on within the school, other than academics, it is these activities that help to shape the culture of the school. The more the students enjoy being there, the better place it is to be. As far as I am concerned, what one gets out of something is at least equal to what they put in. I’m looking forward to using what I have learned to continue giving what I can to ensure that these kids get a quality education as they learn to become contributing members of the world, and maybe they will learn to give back as well.
I have found technology to be a bit of a challenge in my everyday teaching, in the sense that our school has very little of it, and is on a network that crashes or freezes quite frequently. I would love to utilize blogging on a regular basis – having different blog topics available for comment, and by using the online forum; I would save myself quite a bit of money that I would normally use buying notebooks for this purpose. In the future, I would also enjoy utilizing the many features Google has to offer in order to have students collaborate on projects, and learn some of the essentials of a world that is heading toward a much more paperless future. All in all, the many skills I have acquired through my online learning has greatly impacted the way I think about the institution of learning, and how teaching is likely to be accomplished in the future.
As for my teaching in the traditional sense, I know that what my students need most are the essentials. They need someone to be there for them, to make sure that they feel safe, and can be heard. I will continue to provide what I can for them, while teaching them the necessary skills for life. I will use different literacy tests, in addition to the ones I currently use, in order to get the students involved in their own learning. In the past, I have used the testing for my own purposes, to find a starting point for each of my students. However, the more I think about the way that I learn, and the way that my classes are run, I know that I benefit from feedback. Now, my students get feedback on assignments and such, but to them this is after the fact, many of them are no longer interested in the details. When it comes to their reading scores though, that can be something they can check on every few weeks, and I give them specific activities to help with their literacy level. This may help me to get a certain amount of buy in from my struggling students.
The other focus area that I will continue to work on is in the world of coaching. I’m a newcomer to the profession. I have one season f experience under my belt, and a lot that I would like to implement. I want to try out new strength training drills, and some pre-season conditioning and I’d like to see the team come together and cheer each other on. Coaching is not an easy task, and when it comes to coaching males and females at the same time, it can become even more complicated. I look forward to using what I have learned about the way different genders compete, and how they build muscles and skills as I move forward in my coaching career. I would also like to utilize the nutrition and training schedule information I have learned to educate my student athletes on how to be healthy while we are in season, and also when we are not.
In the area where I work, the students don’t always have positive role models. They don’t always come from a home with parents who are involved; some don’t come from a home with parents at all. For many of the students in my area, sports are not only an outlet, but an opportunity. An opportunity to be a part of something, to get the attention and sense of belonging they may not be getting elsewhere. It is important that I remember that as I move forward, away from forums where I have other coaches who talk to me about these topics weekly.
In order to make sure that I am doing my best to make my students citizens of the world, I hope to engage my students in more activities within their community. This goes for both my students in class, and the students I have on my team. Through service projects, my classes and athletes may begin to see one another as the people they are, and not just the people they are perceived to be while at school. They also begin to see that the world is larger than the school, and that there are other people going about their lives outside the school walls, and that these people are important too.
In addition to teaching and coaching, I am also an advisor. I hope to continue doing this in the future. I will continue to help plan fundraising, working with parents and other teachers, and putting together events. The students deserve to have someone making sure that there are special activities going on within the school, other than academics, it is these activities that help to shape the culture of the school. The more the students enjoy being there, the better place it is to be. As far as I am concerned, what one gets out of something is at least equal to what they put in. I’m looking forward to using what I have learned to continue giving what I can to ensure that these kids get a quality education as they learn to become contributing members of the world, and maybe they will learn to give back as well.
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