Reflection: Chapters Two and Three, Rousmaniere While reading these selections, I made a great amount of connections in regards

to reflecting. Even before I decided to enter the teaching world, I was always reflecting constantly. For example, most of my reflections were informal. I would always stop and think about why something happened, and what could have gone better if possible. A term that I came across in chapter two of Tom Poetters book was apprenticeship of observation. Apprenticeship of observation means, every teacher comes to teaching with a set of experiences and ideas related to previous school experiences that define the teachers position as a teacher and that shape the teachers behaviors (Poetter, 2012). This is a term I had not heard of prior to this course, but it makes a great amount of sense to me. For instance, I have had quite a few previous school experiences that define who I am as a teacher. Throughout elementary school all the way until I graduated from high school in Illinois, I had several influential teachers, especially my third grade teacher Mrs. Schaeffer. As a child, I was diagnosed with Audio Processing Disorder and had a hard time learning verbally. When I came to Mrs. Schaeffers class, my parents thought she would be a tough teacher and that she wouldnt be a good fit for me. However, this was proven to be wrong and she was absolutely wonderful. She gave me extra help when I needed it and knew quite a bit about me as a person. To this day, she still recognizes me when I see her, even though I had her 13 years ago. I connect my experience with her to the idea of apprenticeship of observation because the way she treated me as translated into my beliefs as a teacher. Whenever I have a student who is struggling, I think back on how she helped me grow. On the flip side, Im aware that the

way and methods she used for me may not work for everyone, but the amount of heart she put into her work is what I would like to carry over into my career. Another item I identified with was the student journal excerpt in chapter 3. This student writes about the struggles of being an education major and how her friends think shes in an easy major. I cannot stress enough how many times Ive been teased, made fun of, and especially insulted for wanting to teach, especially because Im goin g to be teaching elementary students. For example, I correct someone I knew for calling my major easy. She is an engineering student and said that her work was much harder, that she had more exams than I did, and more work to do. In response to her, I think of what Anne, the student, wrote: Sure we dont have many quizzes or tests as some of the other majors classes probably do, but there are more papers, more discussions, more projects, more field experiences, and with those come extra stresses and responsibilities (Poetter, 2012). What she said is what I have explained so many times, not only to the girl I confronted, but to other people who dont quite understand what I do. As Tom later said, teaching is rocket science and teaching is a very complicated, challenging and scientific art that requires deep intellectual work (Poetter, 2012). I wish this were something that could be driven into the heads of those people who dont understand the value of teachers. Something I always try and put into perspective is that these people wouldnt be doing what they are doing today if they didnt have teachers to educate them. Knowing that brings a great amount of pride into my work and that despite the negative comments, I will always have that thought in mind to keep me in check.

Finally, one more item that spoke to me was in the article by Kate Rousmaniere. Something that I considered profound was when she mentioned that there is a connection between our first experience and later responses, and that our early experiences of education shape our adult ways of evaluating schooling (Rousmaniere, 2000). Now while this can seem obvious once read, I never truly thought about it in that way before, hence why this was such a profound statement for me. It caused me to think back on my early days as a student. As I mentioned earlier, I had Audio Processing Disorder throughout elementary school up until I began middle school. With the help of my parents, several great teachers, and tutors, I had a positive school experience and grew up to be successful academically in high school and college. Having this experience as a child has led me to believe as an adult that there are people willing to help and work with children in the school system. Furthermore, this positive experience in my elementary years is also why I want to teach in an elementary building. I want to pass on what I experienced as a small child to other small children. I was lucky to have supportive parents whereas some children might not be so lucky. With that in mind, I want to serve as that advocate for those who struggle. I believe that almost anyone can reach their potential with the right people involved.