Closing Statement
Challenges
One challenge I had, which I did on purpose, was figuring out how to create an open community. When starting on this unit, I knew that creating a safe and open environment was something I struggled with previously, I wanted it to be front and centre. I had to spend a lot of time thinking about what I would really want a classroom to look and sound like before I could even begin to put anything on paper.
Another challenge that I faced was understanding time restraints. How much could students do in one class? In a week? In a month? I found myself having to change the calendar over and over again and often making decisions about wether or not to keep daily activities.
Rewards
The biggest reward I had from creating this unit was coming up with a unit, activities, and assignments that would be rewarding for both the students and the class community. I feel as if this unit could actually be taught and better the lives that were a part of it. I appreciate the fact that although I may not teach this unit as a whole, in the future I can pull a lot of the ideas, materials, and activities and use them to better create safe and open classroom environments.
Growth
The area that I think I grew the most in would be with creating meaningful activities. Discovering ways in which to have students do activities that were not just to keep them busy was something that I previously struggled with. Coming up with clear ideas about why students are doing what they are doing was what really powered the entire unit.
Uncertainty
The biggest uncertainty I have with this unit would be my own execution of it. If I were to teach this unit to students, would I have a strong enough sense of self to be able to really dive into the subject matter. This brings me to my second uncertainty - knowing how to incorporate an appropriate amount of myself into the activities. Having uncertainties about myself in certain cases may be a strength. Letting students know that everyone struggles in different areas of their lives, including myself, could be a strength instead of a weakness. By doing all of the activities with the students and sharing what is probably a small amount of myself it would definitely help to build the open community that this entire unit is designed for.
Another uncertainty would be the amount of time allotted for working on the major assignments. In a real classroom, this is something that I would need to judge at the time. Although I think in the end my decisions on time were accurate, if the particular class was not as strong as another, the students may need that weekend where the unit ends to finish working on their essays.
One challenge I had, which I did on purpose, was figuring out how to create an open community. When starting on this unit, I knew that creating a safe and open environment was something I struggled with previously, I wanted it to be front and centre. I had to spend a lot of time thinking about what I would really want a classroom to look and sound like before I could even begin to put anything on paper.
Another challenge that I faced was understanding time restraints. How much could students do in one class? In a week? In a month? I found myself having to change the calendar over and over again and often making decisions about wether or not to keep daily activities.
Rewards
The biggest reward I had from creating this unit was coming up with a unit, activities, and assignments that would be rewarding for both the students and the class community. I feel as if this unit could actually be taught and better the lives that were a part of it. I appreciate the fact that although I may not teach this unit as a whole, in the future I can pull a lot of the ideas, materials, and activities and use them to better create safe and open classroom environments.
Growth
The area that I think I grew the most in would be with creating meaningful activities. Discovering ways in which to have students do activities that were not just to keep them busy was something that I previously struggled with. Coming up with clear ideas about why students are doing what they are doing was what really powered the entire unit.
Uncertainty
The biggest uncertainty I have with this unit would be my own execution of it. If I were to teach this unit to students, would I have a strong enough sense of self to be able to really dive into the subject matter. This brings me to my second uncertainty - knowing how to incorporate an appropriate amount of myself into the activities. Having uncertainties about myself in certain cases may be a strength. Letting students know that everyone struggles in different areas of their lives, including myself, could be a strength instead of a weakness. By doing all of the activities with the students and sharing what is probably a small amount of myself it would definitely help to build the open community that this entire unit is designed for.
Another uncertainty would be the amount of time allotted for working on the major assignments. In a real classroom, this is something that I would need to judge at the time. Although I think in the end my decisions on time were accurate, if the particular class was not as strong as another, the students may need that weekend where the unit ends to finish working on their essays.
“And when I was asleep I had one of my favorite dreams… And in the dream nearly everyone on the earth is dead…”