SO much to learn

I had the first class of my M.A.Ed. program tonight. And I loved it! If you know me, this is no surprise. I enjoy school and love learning new things/concepts. I'm particularly excited about this class because I know that I will be learning stuff that can actually be put in to practice to make me a better educator. I want to teach high school English, and I feel that I know my subject matter really well, but since my undergrad degree was not an Education degree (rather a B.A. in English), I don't feel like I know how to best teach students the material in an engaging and relevant way. Enter this class--"Curriculum & Development." It is all about how to educate in the 21st century--and is about more than just incorporating technology and a multi-cultural awareness into the classroom. We talked about the education of the whole child--not just using their brain as a depository for knowledge (i.e. facts & numbers). Obviously the world has changed drastically from our "Little House on the Prairie" days (honestly, sometimes I wish I had lived then, in that simpler time...) not to mention just within the last decade. However, relatively speaking, the basis for our educational processes/methods have changed very little. My teacher shared some staggering statistics about American education in comparison with education in other countries...I won't bore you with them, but they definitely made me even more aware of what I had suspected: American education is in a sore state--(but this definitely does not mean there aren't some great teachers out there trying their best). I'm excited to learn all I can to become one more of those teachers who are giving it their best shot to see students become ethical, productive, responsible, compassionate citizens.


Many thanks for humoring me with this all-too-exciting post about my first night class! I know you've been on the edge of your seats. :) And if you are even remotely interested and have an extra 20 minutes to spare, watch this video on creativity & school that my teacher played for us tonight. It's quite entertaining, and it definitely gave me something to think about.