Reflective Essay In Education Template Page 3
ADVERTISEMENT
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9SERVICE LEARNING: ERIC
3
assignment and is still failing tests, this breakdown of the grades
may effectively highlight how the student can be helped.
It was this unique way of evaluating students that led to my
Transition leads
from background
first meeting with Eric Johnson, an 11th grader to whom I was
information about
the school to
assigned as a tutor. Eric is an African American male who grew up in
Gibson’s personal
a nuclear middle-class family in a Lansing suburb. Teachers noticed
experiences.
over time that Eric’s grades were dropping, yet his attendance,
participation, and motivation were above average. Surprisingly,
Eric himself was the one who asked for a tutor to help him raise
his grades. What initially struck me about Eric was the level of
responsibility he seemed to take for his own academic achievement.
At the time I wrote in my journal (January 31, 2006), “He appears
Journal entries
are considered
to be a good student. He is trying his best to succeed in school. He
personal communi
cation and are
came to me for help and realizes the need for a tutor.”
cited in the text but
not included in the
While tutoring Eric, I paid attention to the way he talked
reference list.
about his classes and to the types of assignments he was being
asked to complete. My impression was that Waverly High School
was fostering student success by doing more than just placing
posters in the hallways. Waverly’s curriculum encourages analytical
Personal observa
tions lead to
thinking, requires group and individual projects that depend
broader insights.
on creativity and research, and includes open-ended writing
assignments designed to give students opportunities to form their
own conclusions. I found this reality both difficult and inspiring; I
had not expected an 11th grader’s homework to be so challenging.
I once said so to Eric, and he responded with a smile: “Yeah. My
teachers say it’s going to help us when we get to college to already
know how to do some of these things.” What was surprising to me
Source: Hacker Handbooks (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011, 2007).
ADVERTISEMENT
0 votes
Related Articles
Related forms
Related Categories
Parent category: Education