Blog #7

The end of this experience is definitely bitter sweet. I sincerely enjoyed my student teaching experience. However, the work load along with the student teaching responsibilities, seemed almost unbearable at times. I felt that I didn't have enough time devote myself fully to either my studies or my students. This is a very hard experience for me. My grandfather always told me, "If you can't put 100 percent into it, then don't waste your time." This advice is something I attempt to uphold in all of my daily encounters. Therefore, this experience left me feeling a little inadequate in each of my responsibilities (as a student and a teacher). Now that my student teaching is finished, I will be able to focus on my research and other student responsibilities.

One thing that I am proud of is my incorporation of literacy engagements. Honestly, at first, I took this assignment as a "can of fluff" more than influential material. However, during the eight weeks I noticed where literacy is effective in the furthering the comprehension levels of my students in a mathematics classroom. The last literacy engagement that I produced was a "fix-and-learn" project. This project gave my students the opportunity to better a quiz grade through a written reflection process. For each mistake, the student had to describe the mistake, retry the problem, and then finish with a reflection paragraph as to what they learned. This activity helped the grades of the students both physically and comprehensively. It forced the students to realize their errors and then made them reflect on the knowledge they gained through the process. This experience could be compared to memorizing a person's name. Studies show that the immediate repitition of a strangers name will aide in the memory process. I feel that the three tier reflection assignment acted as a repititous way of helping the students comprehend a topic.

Overall, I have enjoyed the experience and I look foward to my future in education. Good luck to everyone and I encourage you to continue with your content literacy engagements. I believe that we are a new generation of teachers that better understand the necessities for creating well-rounded, educated individuals. As well, I hope we now understand that content literacy is one of those necessities. See yall on Monday!