Portfolio/Teacher Certification

I had not realized quite how intense it was to become a certified teacher. I really thought that it you just took a test, got your degree, became certified, and taught. Boy was I wrong. The amount of tests (and the prices of them) and the all around process that future teachers need to deal with to become certified, and that current teachers need to stay certified, are astonishing. Also, I was not aware of how much planning education majors/minors need to put into deciding when to take what classes and when to student teach. For my Biology major, I just take the classes that I want each semester. But, since I am a junior and basically have all of my core classes done, I don't have to worry about those like I used to.

On a side note, I am excited to get my copy of "Last Child in the Woods." I think it will be a very interesting book.

Lions for Lambs

When I saw the previews for Lions for Lambs, I thought the movie would be all about war policy. This didn't make me want to pay big bucks to see it in the theater and the film slipped out of my mind. So, I was glad that we were going to watch it in class, but I didn't really know how the film would relate to education, since it was not advirtised itself as that kind of film. Anyways, I could really tell that there were educational themes throughout the movie, also. To me, it seems like the film portayed the main role of education to be that it gives a person the ability to decide for themselves what is best for them to do in life.

When asked by Doug to write what we think "good teaching" is, I wrote this:
Good teaching is educating while keeping natural curiosity alive.
I really do believe that this is true and that so often students lose the innate wonderment they have if they are taught in a way that doesn't stimulate that curiosity.

I also really liked Doug saying that a past student had said that teaching is about providing students a mirror so they can really look at who they are. I think that it means so much to help somebody delve more deeply into themselves than they had ever gone before.