Brittany Vandergrift

Education 1100
9am
Personal Reflection
A couple of points that I learned from this class are that teachers fall under a combination
of a couple categories when it comes to their teacher styles. They can be either student centered
or teacher centered. Teacher centered teachers can either be Perennialists or Essentialists. Both
of those have no electives and are very basic in regards to what is being taught. Student centered
teachers can fall under three categories, Progressivism, Social Reconstructionism, and
Existenialism. All of these give creativity and control to the students. Another point that I have
learned is that it takes a lot to motivate students and there are many factors in regards to what can
and cannot motivate students. For example, everything from the teachers attitude to how the
classroom is set up can motivate or demotivate a student. I have also learned that schools have
changed drastically from when schools were first created. When schools were first created, there
was no middle school, nor high school. Children were not separated in regards to their age or
learning levels. There was one teacher at the front of the classroom who taught all walks of
children. Originally, schools were created for religious purposes and to teach children how to
read and write.
Some questions and wonders I still have are why did it seems so easy to graduate the
College of DuPage in two years and now that Im here, it might take me upwards of three years
to graduate? When will I know if Im a good teacher or not? Another question I have is how long
will it actually take me to become a teacher? How long will it really take me to find a teaching
job?
I can apply the information that I learned in class to my future in a lot of ways. For
example, I learned that in 2017, to be a middle school teacher, aspiring teachers need to be

enrolled in a Middle Level Education Program. Also, some colleges are doing away with their
Middle Level Ed Program. Some other bits of information that I picked up in class was that
teaching, is not for everyone. Some people coming out of this class will be reevaluating their
decision on becoming a teacher because they spent time in the classroom and did not enjoy it.
For me, this experience only enhanced my want to become a teacher and have my own
classroom. Being in this class has taught me that being a teacher takes a lot of time outside of the
class to prepare lessons and activities for the children. But when youre in the classroom, your
hard work shows. I can apply what I learned in regards to the different types of schools we talked
about to what type of school I would like to teach in. I would rather teach in a public school
because public schools have unions and I know that everyone I am working with is qualified to
be a teacher. Also, working at a public school, jobs are more stable after four years of teaching.
As always, I put all of the effort I could give into this class. I went above and beyond
what was expected of me in regards to my observation hours and I completed every single
assignment on time. Trying my best was really all I could do and it showed.
I absolutely enjoyed this course. This course was everything that I could have hoped for it
to be. At the beginning of class, I had no idea about the observation hours portion of the class.
When it was mentioned a couple of weeks into the semester, I was so excited. This was not my
first experience in the classroom, but it was wonderful going back and observing at different
angles than what I had originally. Also, when I had observed in my previous class I observed a
first grade classroom. Seeing the difference between the two classes is incredible. This course
strengthened my desire to become a teacher. It has also made me think about what grade level I
am willing to teach and what grade level I am cut out to teach.