Blog Assignment #1

About Me:
My name is Kelli, and I'm here at the University of South Alabama, hoping to soon become an English teacher. I was born in Mobile, Alabama, but I've lived the past ten years in Lucedale, Mississippi. I'm the oldest of six children, and the youngest child is my only brother. I currently live at home with them, my mother, and step-father, and my father lives in Mobile. As long as I have planned on going to college, the University of South Alabama has always interested me because it was close to home with a reputation of having an outstanding education department. I love all aspects of English, but I'm more specifically interested in literature and reflective writing.
The field of education is something that I not only view as a future career, but as a key interest that ignites passion inside of me. I love to help and teach people, and I constantly strive to be an encouragement to those around me. I love to learn, as well, and hope to one day motivate teenagers and young people to hunger for knowledge and to better themselves in every way possible. My faith has also played a major role in my life throughout the last few years. I have been and wish to continue to be actively involved in ministry, and try to be a positive light to those around me as much as I can. A few of my other interests include shopping, going to the beach, listening to music, being outdoors, watching movies, and having fun with my friends and family. Academically speaking, my strengths include reading, writing, for the most part. My weaknesses have always been math (especially algebra) and, unfortunately, technology because it highly confuses me most of the time. However, I am looking forward to this class, and hope to change my mind about technology by the end of the semester!
My Future Classroom:
In the future, I wish for my classroom to be a place of not only academic excellence, but also a place where the real potential of every student is brought to life. I personally have been in classes in the past where not only did I not learn anything new, but I felt discouraged as a student and person, as well. Essential classroom materials, such as technology, will play a major role in the presentation and learning environments for the students, of course. However, I feel that it will be my responsibility as a teacher to encourage each student to show off their abilities, and help sharpen their talents for their benefits. I believe that the best way for me to educate my class and help them grow academically is to be creative, fuel the fire of passion for the curriculum, and form a caring bond for my class as a whole.
Being creative is not just for those who are interested in the arts, despite what some may think. From my experience as a student, I think it is safe to say that no child wants to sit through a mundane routine that bores them to tears, and they will more than likely not engage in the lessons, too. As long as it does not hinder their respect for me as a teacher, I will do whatever it takes to help my classroom grasp a better understanding of the material they will be learning, how it pertains to them, and how to have a love and respect for it that they might have otherwise never known. Music, games, drawings, pictures, movies, posters, presentations, skits, and hands-on material can help shake up English and language arts and turn it from a boring lecture into a fun way of growing in knowledge.
Another important factor in creating a successful learning atmosphere for my students will be to keep my passion for English aflame at all times. Although it is easy to fall into the routine of working and forget why I'm there in the first place, I will do my very best to remind myself of why I fell in love with English and teaching in the beginning. Nothing is more disheartening than a teacher who appears to hate their job. I would know about this first hand because I have had plenty of teachers in the past who always presented themselves with that attitude. Keeping my interest in English and literature alive is not just important to my success as an educator- it is completely vital. If I lose my love for my occupation everyday, how could I possibly expect my students to ever show any interest?
If there is only one aspect of teaching that I am able to accomplish, I hope that it is a bond I can form between me and my students. After working with teenagers in youth ministry for the past few years, I have seen that one of the main reasons students stop striving to achieve greater goals academically is because everyone around them gave up on them. By showing that I believe in them wholeheartedly, even if they show no signs of improvement at first, I feel that the kids in my class will gain a sense of confidence and acceptance that will catapult them into the potential that is buried deep inside of them. If they know that someone supports them and believes they can and will accomplish amazing goals in their lives, then ultimately, I believe that I have, in a sense, succeeded in the ultimate purpose of being a teacher.
I realize that I still have a long way to go before I am ready to be the leader of a classroom. I do, however, think that I do have good plans for my future students and hope to stick close to them as much as possible. While I do have a lot of training and education to go through myself before I'm able to teach anyone else, I strongly believe that using aspects such as creativity, passion, and care for my students will help me to build up an enthusiastic, academically superb group of individuals at the end of every school year.
Randy Pausch on Time Management:
Randy Pausch's video lecture on time management brings forth some very crucial points that can apply to all of us when it comes to procrastination. One key aspect that Dr. Pausch presents is the importance of having a plan. He emphasizes how not having a plan of some kind, whether it be for long or short-term goals, will eventually lead to the demise of those intentions. He implies this with the phrase, "Failing to plan is planning to fail." Having some sort of plan help us to construct ways of achieveing our goals, no matter how great or small they may be. Another factor Dr. Pausch helps expose to the audience is a list of questions pertaining to our goals. If we ask ourselves what our goals and routines consist of, why we are doing these things, and what we gain or lose by acting on them can all help simplify our lives from unnecessary activities or habits smothering us. The end of Dr. Pausch's lecture teaches the importance of doing the most dreadful part of our daily tasks first. He illustrates this in a profound way by using the statement, "If you have to eat a frog, don't look at it first. And if you have to eat three frogs, eat the biggest one first." From what I had heard so far, Dr. Pausch seemed to be implying that if we get our most difficult, unpleasant tasks and goals out of the way before the more pleasing ones, we are more likely to get things done on time and not stress about them as much. He also teaches that by working on getting things done, and not getting them done perfectly, will help us reduce the stress in our daily lives. Everything that I heard on this video lecture is the only material I have ever heard from Dr. Pausch, but I hope to hear more of his video lectures in future assignments.