Writing About Writing

Ok, I'm going to start from the end of the conference and work my way backwards. I'm not sure why, but I just have this urge. I think maybe it goes from the one that made me think most of all to the one that was less but still very interesting.

The last break out session I attended was my favorite because it convinced me that I didn't want to be a teacher. It was a bunch of interns talking about how they enjoyed their experience in the field, and what it was like, and I realized that it definately wasn't for me. I'm not saying that this suddenly changed my mind, but I think it helped to make my decision. But it was a great session. They had so many handouts, and so many resources that it really enriched my experience. I really got to look into what teaching was going to be like, and what interning would be like, what to expect, and what to be brutally prepared for. It opened my eyes.

One of the middle conferences that I attended had to do with applying technology to a school setting; however, it wasn't the spiffy one that everyone was raving about. It was an intern sharing her current experiences with everyone. She incorporated music into her history lesson. And also modern day occurances to get them to relate. The thing that really woke me up in this presentation though was a point that she made about cirriculum. She said that when you're teaching something, you might have to skip the bare facts, and go with the general idea. She was teaching the constitution, and she basically skimmed to the right of life and speech. That just seems like cheating to me. But you have to make your lessons relatable, so in the end, I guess it does make sense. It'll help the students to learn, and help them enjoy what they are learning.

A part of me wants to write about the keyntoe speaker, and his rant about incorporating technology into the classroom, but I think it's an overworked topic now, concidering that we've been learning from the GVSU king all semester. I think as future teachers, our generation is only inclined to incorporate technology into their teaching practices. Or maybe it's just me. But I think as enthusiastic teachers, we are going to want to relate to our students, so what exactly is going to get them excited about what they are learning? Definately not general lectures, reading, and writing. Students need things from their daily life to actually make them wake up from their educational fog. We need to give them something worthwhile and make them enjoy coming to school. Otherwise our jobs are going to be just as dull. I'm not saying you need to have a trick up your sleeve every single day, but enthusiasm isn't going to be the only thing that will motivate the students. They need to know that you care, and that you are wanting them to relate it to their lives. It's enthusiasm through relatability and technology.