Undergraduate degree, check!

This class has been informative in so many ways. It gave me a different perspective in teaching and students. As a Sociology major, I like to understand society and how it’s behavior works. It has taken me quite a long time to figure out that I like to understand student behavior and how I can help them reach their highest potential.

When I started working as an After School Leader, I grew an interest in working in education. Once I knew that I was interested, I decided to explore in different areas. These areas included working in the after school program, volunteering as an aid for a program named Special Pals and Classroom Aid. After these experiences, I had to really think about what I enjoyed and I realized which one was for me and which was not. It wasn’t until I became an Academic Mentor that I realized that I liked counseling students.

As a person who wants to work with students I think that it is important to have a wide range of knowledge in all areas of education. This class taught me how fun and interactive teaching can be. Literacy studies isn’t just reading and writing just for school. It ranges from text messaging, social media, blog post, memes, and so much more.

As Brandt had mentioned, we have sponsors who encourage literacy practices. For instance if I’m working with a child who’s parents don’t encourage literacy, it is important I try and help him view the importance of it. If sponsors, parents, were to teach us the importance of literacy outside of school and at an early age, then people similar to me wouldn’t struggle with it growing up.

The book Just Girls, taught me that literacy isn’t just reading and writing for school. Literacy as a whole is something that we practice in our day-to-day lives. Although texting and being on social media is frowned upon by older generations, this is a form of literacy. In today’s society, children are able to express their feelings. I like to think of this as a digital diary. In this generation, it’s uncommon for children to have diaries. Their social media is often times used as a form of a “diary”. What they post depends on the person and what they like to share with others. In relation, this depends on their personality and how they express themselves.

There were a lot more topics that we discussed that I also found interesting. These two topics stood out to me most. What I have learned in this class has given me a perspective on how I can better assist students reach their highest potential and achievements. The topics that I have learned in this class can be shared with the future teachers that I will be working with.