When I think back to this semester of grad school, there is much that I have gained and continue to learn from. As a teacher I feel like I am always learning something new, wither it is from grad school or my students. With this I also find myself questioning what we are doing and if it is effective.
At the beginning of the semester we were asked what a number told us about a student. If the student was a level 1, 2, 3, or 4 what we would know about them. And well I thought I had an idea of what these numbers meant for our students and in all reality all they tell me what this student did on a test. We cannot group our students just based on their test scores. We have to look deeper into who they are as learners.
While reading Choice Words and Opening Minds, I have been able to reflect on my teaching and think about why I went into teaching. Everyday I look my 24 students and I am reminded of everything that I do and how much of an impact it has on them. I have always wanted to help people and enjoy that I can now do that daily with my students. I had wanted to be a teacher since I was a struggling student in school and now that I have accomplished my dream I want to help my students reach theirs. Helping to grow and learn is more than anything I could have hoped for. When looking at what I do with my students and thinking of Johnstons’ text I know that what I am doing is making a difference.
As I reflect on my teaching I also reflect on my schooling as a student. And well I was a struggling learning and had to overcome so many challenges. I was never told I was ‘good’ at a subject nor was I ever told I was ‘bad’ but I just knew in my mind that i was not good at school. My teachers were a wonderful support system that would never let me fail and found any way to help them. This is something I strive for, for my students. I try to encourage them in all aspect of life and school. I want them to see what they are capable of. I have been taking what Johnston says and see what I can add to my classroom- we are now trying to be mindful of our word choice, listening to each other and questioning things are unsure of.
This semester has had my mind turning with questions and ideas of way to help my students. There are so many things that I know I am capable of helping my student obtain.
JennOppie 
I can complete relate to your experiences at the beginning of the semester with that activity and then also the trajectory of how your mindsets have evolved and grown in this program.
I definitely also instinctively thought the number told me something about my students. Even though I’m not a fan of testing, I know it’s important and try to be very data driven about students. I, of course, value and discover more crucial dimensions and aspects of my students, but in truth, at the high school level with so many kids, I thought that numbers did tell me something about their learning. This class has helped me to see beyond that in ways I wasn’t expecting.
It was great to learn about your journey to becoming a teacher in this response; I like that you frame this reflection as not just about your student’s learning but your own too. I also was a struggling student, as I faced a reading disability for a number of years, so I can relate to that drive to want to help students who struggle. I think reflecting on our own schooling is a critical process to becoming more aware teachers. It’s interesting to think about how that initial reflection on schooling in Jocelyn’s class connects to the ones we are building here and will continue to build throughout this program.
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