10/14

Dewey’s How We Think was an incredibly difficult and tedious read, especially since it was done in conjunction with my attempts to study for my upcoming certification exams. From this text, I gather that thinking is natural and is not something you can teach but something that can be nurtured and developed.

Dewey’s approach to thinking is definitely how I want to approach learning in my classroom. At this stage, I feel like the educational system has robbed its students of the freedom to think freely. I find myself constantly reminding my students that they can do just that. Learning lacks any type of curiosity or fervor for them. It is just attempting to think and see things how they think teachers and others in power want them to, in the classroom their curiosity and ideas are worthless.

Although there was some very important information in this text as it supports what we have been thinking or “believe” about learning and teacher-student relationships, I think it would have been of better use to my colleagues who seem to believe that our students are incapable of thinking. Especially to those who create a curriculum that does not leave much room for thinking but simply accepting what other people believe or think.

This past week was a blur as I felt almost of no use in my placement. I have almost detached myself from the experience emotionally, because at times, I didn’t like how I felt at the end of the day. Coupled with other expectations, it was often too much. Now, I don’t question much, and I’m basically modeling my CT. I don’t think this is diminishing what I could possibly be learning because I am definitely keeping mental notes of things I don’t want to bring into my own classroom. I also don’t want to create any negative relationships with anybody, or risk someone misinterpreting my questions about the curriculum in a negative way. Mainly because the reality is that I am unemployed, and I am trying to get where they are professionally. Our resume workshop reminded me that I will need references, and good ones.  Therefore, I think I want to work on building positive relationships until I have the influence and leverage to really question anything.