Reflective Essay In Education Template (Page 7 of 9) in pdf

Reflective Essay In Education Template Page 7

SERVICE LEARNING: ERIC

administration and learning specialists did not decide to place

Eric in a special education track. Eric is exceedingly intelligent

and shows promise in every academic area. He seems to be

able to succeed by identifying problems on his own and

seeking resources to help him solve those problems. He is a

motivated and talented student who simply seems like a typical

adolescent.

I came away from my service learning project with an even

stronger conviction about the importance of quality education for

a student’s success. Unlike the high school I attended, Waverly

pays close attention to each child and thinks about how to get

all its students to succeed at their own level. Jean Patrice, an

administrator, told me, “You have to be able to reach a student

where they are instead of making them come to you. If you don’t,

you’ll lose them” (personal communication, April 10, 2006).

Patrice expressed her desire to see all students get something

out of their educational experience. This feeling is common

among members of Waverly’s faculty. With such a positive view

of student potential, it is no wonder that 97% of Waverly High

School graduates go on to a four-year university (Patrice, 2006).

I have no doubt that Eric Johnson will attend college and that he

will succeed there.

As I look toward my teaching future, I know there is plenty

that I have left to learn. Teaching is so much more than getting

up in front of a class, reiterating facts, and requiring students

to learn a certain amount of material by the end of the year.

Teaching is about getting students—one by one—to realize

Source: Hacker Handbooks (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011, 2007).

Reflective Essay In Education Template Page 7