Final Reflection

The Coursework:

I have really loved all of the courses I have taken so far for this Master's program. I still have five more classes to complete, but I am confident that I will enjoy them just as much and learn just as much from them. Even though these classes are not all required for licensure in secondary education, I believe they would be incredibly useful and helpful for regular education teachers to participate in as well.

Processes for Obtaining Licensure:

I know I am not yet ready to take the Praxis exam, but I am excited that the time is getting closer. I know that I will be ready when the time comes though. I believe these courses will be helpful to me in the licensure process and into the future of my teaching career.

Experiences working with ESL students:

All my experiences working with ESL students has been exciting, fun and very rewarding. I have learned so much and I continue to learn so much from my courses and from the students. My fieldwork experiences has been so helpful and educational.

Application of the Wiki and Blog:

I really like keeping the blog although I do not always have time to transfer my notes right away. In fact, there are several observations that I conducted where I took notes during the observation and reflected on them both during and after, but I have yet to post the observation notes because I just have not had time. I plan to add them next week when I have time again.

I absolutely love my Wiki. I know that it will be very helpful to me in my future teaching career as well. I love that I can post lessons and graphic organizers that I have created. There is a lot more that can be done with a Wiki than a Blog.

Finally, all the lessons and activities I have created over the six courses that I have taken will be so helpful and useful to me in the future. I am excited about the future lessons and activities I will create in my next five classes and on my own as an ESL educator.

Advice for future ESL students:

- Always be empathetic and patient.
- Sometimes it is hard when the students just shut down. Keep persisting and keep making sure that they know you care about them and you are there to help them whenever they need it.
- It is ok if you have to leave them to work on their own. You can not force a student to allow you to help them.
- Continue to remind students that they can take their time.
- Try your best to give them opportunities to build their confidence in reading, writing, speaking and listening.
(These words of advice go for working with all students.)