Week #1 Reflection

Senior project has been quite the time the last week or so. Hardly working, but feeling like I have a little more freedom through being a day student is a whole new lifestyle I hadn’t even known about! I very much enjoy waking up, and talking to my Gramp while he makes me breakfast. I learned a whole bunch with the freshman and with Culture and Conflict and have really been liking getting to know them. I think sometimes they think of me as a friend but honestly I think it is a good balance. I have read many of their personal narratives and learned a lot about their own individual experiences. Right now, they are writing about a right that they feel has been personally violated in their lives and further go on to connect it to either readings in Intro to Lit. or their research that they’ve done in their World History class. Reading many stories, I’m coming to understand who they are as students and how I can help them and give my feedback. 

Did I like what I was doing? Of course I did! Quality time with Elibet and me is always awesome because we honestly just never see each other. I have liked being an additional voice in Culture and Conflict as well and being able to work with Mel always brings me an immense amount of laughter. I wasn’t completely sure what to expect coming in and being a TA for both Culture and Conflict and Intro to Lit, but I certainly wasn’t expecting super chatty freshman and I definitely got that. To be honest though, those are some of the funniest classes and I like that the majority of them don’t feel shy in front of me. I wouldn’t know how to act if I was a freshman and this random girl just showed up for the last 2 weeks of the year, but they are all pretty comfortable. It seems like that’s the vibe Elibet brings to her classrooms. I will benefit from this week’s activities because I further understand how to interact with younger students and how I can be the most helpful to them. Using examples of what I’ve personally written and completed in my previous classes gives both the freshman and the Culture and Conflict kids something to bounce off of. 

What do I do to help me achieve my goals? I meet with Ellie very often and discuss plans, tests, grading, assignments, projects, etc. I also stay off my computer and phone for the majority of the class unless I need my computer to help a student. This has made me a better communicator and has made me feel so old and mature when I sit and grade papers. Overall, love senior project and having the grandest time up here in good ol Andover. Thanks!


Hours done: 25.5 hours


Comments

  1. Kyle ConnollyMay 17, 2022 at 8:59 AM

    So old! Mature? Jury is out - curious how you're feeling about giving feedback and grades on things. Do you feel like you have a lot to say to them? When you're back here in 5 years and teaching classes it'll be interesting to compare your ideas in these blogs to when you're running a classroom yourself. Anyways, grading always strikes me as one of the most difficult parts about teaching and sometimes one where we have less ground to stand on.

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