I became their teacher in November. No formal training, education, nada. Most would say that I was at a disadvantage being given seniors. This is the result of simply teaching with what’s in my head and in my heart for my kids.
At the end of the semester, I created a written assignment for my students. A few students complained since it was a math course. A few were eager to write as it was worth a quiz grade replacement.
Ms. Royster’s Final Self-Reflection Assignment
As you all know, I am a writer at heart. I decided to share my love for writing with you all. Luckily for you I will be dropping your lowest quiz grade and replacing it with a completion grade. Below are the requirements for the assignment.
Your Self-Reflection Needs to Be:
Handwritten on college ruled notebook paper (I have plenty!)
Turned in at any time but no later than the last day of class
One page minimum (but you are more than welcome to write as much as you’d like beyond the one page)
Transparent. Be honest.
Please respond to all of the following:
How has this course impacted me? This impact can be positive or negative depending on your experience.
How will the skills that I have acquired in this course assist me with future success?
What other skills may I need to adapt to give me the greatest chance of success in life.
A paragraph has and always will be at least five complete sentences. I’m counting! Don’t cheat yourself.
I made the mistake of reading these self-reflections during class. I had to decide if I would allow my students to see their words tug at my heart-strings or save the tears for the teacher parking lot. I chose the latter. There was one reflection in particular that reassured that I am working within the purpose for my life.
When you first got here I didn’t know what to expect of you and I was relieved that you took Mr. H’s place. Over the quarter that you’ve been here we’ve had our ups and downs and I appreciate you as a teacher and I’ll miss you. What I’ve realized is that you genuinely care about me not only as a student but as a young African American man about to go out into the world. Also, you make me realize that I’ve got all the natural intelligence and understanding I just have to push myself and want better for my own sake. The skills you’ve equipped me with will help me when I’ve got to grocery shop on my own and do things out in the real world. A skill I need to adapt is that of being more open-minded because I’m not always right and should take other people’s thoughts and ideas into consideration. Lastly, I want to say thank you for being so hard on me and never hand feeding me a grade because I got the right answer but instead of doing that you made me work for everything I earned in this class. Without you I’d have never realized my potential and would’ve never started to really take my time and think about my work before claiming I’m done. Truthfully you are the best teacher besides my dad that I’ve ever had. Thank you for coming into my classroom and opening my mind up to new ways of thinking and overall learning.
This is why I teach.
Pretty Dope Right? 