Reflecting back on the first class, I remember being a bit scared of what to expect. I'm now accepted as a candidate to UT's Teacher Education program and that carries a lot of responsibility. My fellow classmates seem like interesting people and I hope to get to know each of them more as the semester unfolds. Brian certainly knew how to calm down the "first day nervousness" that all students get, well I know I do! He's a funny person and a sense of humor is a great thing for a classroom.
Our first group activity broke the ice between the people around me. We all created a solid list of what it means to be professional. But there were three words that I forgot to toss on the list. My step-father is ex-military and having being brought up by him since I was three years old has taught me to be a responsible young man. Improvise, adapt, and overcome are those three words. All are excellent descriptions of what it means to be professional. I want to learn about the art of teaching. That is why I am here. What all goes into creating a lesson plan? How do you best go about assessing the classroom's learning abilities? What happens if your teaching method is ineffective? These are just a few questions that I had in mind for the semester. I hope to get to know my fellow history majors better and maybe we can help each other out with whatever the case may be.
What I am most looking forward to this semester is further developing my skills as a future educator. This class is a critical element in creating effective teaching methods. I feel honored to even be in this program in the first place. I've known I wanted to be a teacher early on in high school years ago. It's going to be a challenge, but that goes without saying. I want to be the most effective teacher I can be. It's one thing to know your subject area, and another to know how to teach it. United States history teachers are "a dime a dozen," as the saying goes, but I'm a firm believer in hard work paying off. UT's program is prestigious and this semester will bring me one step closer to being a licensed teacher in Tennessee.
