Assignment Impact

The other assignments I chose for this course have really helped me to better understand the curriculums and nitpick my personal teaching philosophy. In turn, this assignment has given me an outlet to reflect and think through my opinions of what I have learned and observed. The other assignments I chose were to observe 3 different curriculum models and to write a book review. As I've previously discussed, viewing the Waldorf and Montessori methods was extremely beneficial and inspiring! I've set a goal to eventually open my own preschool that combines aspects of the two methods into my idea of the perfect preschool! I have not yet had a chance to write my book review, but I have completed the book, so I'm going to take this time to state my perspective of it.

I read The Last Child the Woods by Richard Louv. It discussed how far education has gotten from outdoors and the importances of children having a connection with nature. I am a firm believer of outdoor play time, so this read only enhanced my thoughts. There were a few points that really struck a chord with me. One of them was the benefit of nature on children with ADHD. Children are increasingly becoming diagnosed with ADHD at the same time schools are taking away recess. What the school systems do not realize is that merely being in the presence of nature calms the soul. Not to mention being allotted time to run and explore freely, expelling excess energy. On top of that, the students are learning about their natural habitat's the flora and fauna. The medical benefits of nature were not something I had previously thought about, so I felt this a valid point worth further discussion.

I am a vegetarian and firm supporter of animal rights. Thus, I have always hated hunting and fishing, as it does harm to the animals. In the book, Louv discusses hunting and fishing as a way to connect with nature. In doing the acts, people are not only spending time out in nature, but they must become the animal. They use their senses to observe and learn the land. They are also helping with population control. Hunting and fishing are also excellent ways to introduce children to the life cycle and teach them about death. Getting meat in such a natural way, all elements of the animal are used, making the death worthy. After reading the book, I realize hunting and fishing are not bad. I may not partake, but I no longer think others that do are hurting the environment. They are actually helping it and learning along the way.

I've learned many other things from the book, I will discuss further in my upcoming book review. I've always felt using the outdoors as a teaching material would be beneficial to the students, the book gave me proven facts to that assumption. I will definitely be looking further into activities that can be done outside and ways to incorporate all subjects into outdoor learning. Again, reading this book allowed me to reflect on my own opinions, growing them stronger and even offering up a new perspective.

New Found Passion

My perception of curriculum has changed drastically since the beginning of the course. I honestly did not even know what a curriculum was! I knew only one way of learning and thought that was it. I grew up in public school, the traditional method of lectures, positive/negative reinforcement, and tests. I had very few classes and teachers I enjoyed. I decided to go into Early Childhood because I felt you gave the most creative flexibility. I wanted to have a class of students who actually enjoyed coming to school and were engaged by hands-on teaching. I planned to revolutionize education. Little did I know, it had already been done!

Reggio Emilia, Multiple Intelligences Theory, Montessori, Waldorf, The Project Approach, Bank Street, Creative Curriculum! These methods have recognized that not all students learn the same way and are pushing to change the traditional teaching model. This class has truly been an inspiration and lit a flame in me as an educator. One of my biggest fears in going into teaching was the monotony. After taking this class, and learning about all of the teaching styles and possibilities, I have a new found passion for the field of education! I have long term goals and a vision! This dream world I've created in my mind might actually exist and I feel driven to find a school with a similar teaching philosophy to my own! I realize it may not happen immediately, but every job I have will lead me closer and closer to my teaching eutopia. I am so thankful to have been introduced to the different curriculums, to realize there is more to teaching than the behaviorist ways, and really experience education in a whole new light!

Initial Assumptions v. Gained Knowledge

Learning more about the different curriculums has definitely changed my perception of each. I had done lots of research on the Montessori method, but did not realize the importance of a site visit until my observation. It was neat to see a lot of the information I had gathered put to action, but it also taught me a lot about the students interactions and teacher's role. I knew that each class had multiple grade and age levels, but seeing interactions between younger and older kids really emphasized its purpose. The older kids help the younger kids with misunderstanding of their work, and in turn are benefitting by displaying mastery of the topic through teaching. It teaches kindness and compassion for their peers. I also realized the teacher is less of a power figure and more an equal with the students. This was not something I had learned through my research. The teacher constantly asks the students how they are feeling about their work, what they did during the day, and ways the day could be made better. Beyond asking, the teacher really takes into account what the student is saying, making them feel heard and their opinion valued.

All I had known about the Waldorf curriculum was that it did not incorporate technology until high school and was seen as being a very alternative method. Coming into the observation with a relatively blank slate, I was able to discuss the method with the teacher, a woman very practiced and passionate about Waldorf teaching. Here from someone passionate about the subject give whole new meaning to the knowledge. She described the natural rhythm of life the school incorporates in their daily activities. The whole method and environment is very natural, staying true to the Earth and only using what it provides us. Going in knowing the school was considered a "hippy school," I thought I would feel very comfortable, as I consider myself "hippy-like" in many ways. There were aspects of the day I really appreciated, like the incorporation of music and natural materials, but I also felt out of place listening to the words of the songs and pre-meal prayers. Witnessing their daily routine taught me more about the curriculum than I could ever have imagined. It is hard to put the Waldorf method into words, but after observing, I feel much more informed about their ways.

I have learned so much about the different curriculums! Beyond that, I've learned there ARE different curriculums! Growing up in public school, I did not realize there were so many diverse option for teachers and students with different learning styles. More than learning about the specific curriculums, I feel hope from learning that public school's behaviorist ways are not the only approach to teaching. There are curriculums out there that match my personal teaching ideals and I have enjoyed getting to know more about them!