1 of 5: Short Essay Answers: My Observations

My first experience working with high schoolers at UIC was in Dr. Todd DeStigter's English 481/Methods of Teaching English class, in a project through which we went to Mr. Darren Tuggle's 12th-grade AP English classes at Kelvyn Park High School on the West Side of Chicago. This took place during my first semester as a student since my undergraduate studies, in the fall of 2005. The plan was to work on a one-on-one basis, through a series of projects centering on Shakespeare's "Merchant of Venice." During my work with a student named Christie Velez, we created a poster together, wrote a paper together, and co-wrote and performed a short dialogue, in Shakespearian English no less. I was surprised at how actively and creatively these students were willing to approach such a difficult, ancient text. This terrifically impressive experience motivated me to cover the entire series of pedagogical courses in secondary English.
My second experience was a short series of strictly observational visits, totaling 12 logged hours, with Mrs. Courtney Feuer's Freshman English Classes at Lane Tech High School, during the spring of 2007, under the requirements of Dr. Tony Grosch's English 459. I watched Ms. Feuer as she and her class of freshman worked through the Alduous Huxley's modern classic, "Animal Farm." During this short but provocative time, I got to witness teaching English from a highly critical, somewhat deconstructivist perspective, as Mrs. Feuer, a UIC alum, challenged the class with provocative questions like: "What do you need to have to overthrow the government?" By the end, I had decided that I wanted to enter teaching English as a profession, at the secondary level.
My third experience with secondary education students took place the fall of 2007, under the auspices of Dr. Rick Van Acker's SPED 410/Survey of Special Education class. This consisted of 45 hours of consistent work at Benito Juarez Community Academy, on the near southwest side of Chicago. During these hours, I observed several of Mr. Brandon Mixon's special education students, who were integrated with their peers into social studies and history classes being co-taught by Mr. Stosek, or Mr. Pascarella. It was here that I witnessed more experienced (and less experienced) teachers dealing with the challenges that large numbers of special and "regular" education students in a mixed setting present. I was generally impressed by both the students, and the quality of the staff at Juarez, and decided to continue my experiences there if at all possible.
My fourth and current experience is a 60 hour stint at Juarez, including both observational hours, and 20 hours of classroom instruction, under the rubric of Dr. Carol Mitchener's ED 432/Instruction & Evaluation in Secondary Education class. From the very first day that I showed up, I have been involved and instructing and even planning several classes of Dr. Teresa Sosa's 12th grade students covering, thus far, Homer's Illiad. This has been my most motivating experience yet. Dr. Sosa is a terrific asset to her students, and being able to participate very actively, as an instructor has been both challenging and rewarding. I continue to be amazed at these students' willingness to work, when given the proper framework, and am re-dedicated to continuing at Juarez, however I can.