Personal Learning Objective from the beginning of class until the end:
1. Learn new ways of stretching to prevent pain in my lower back and neck. Over the course of the last few weeks I have found that I am going to have to learn to live with some amount of pain in my world when it comes to my neck. I am not sure what occurred or how I injured my neck that resulted in so much discomfort, but it occurred. My visit to the chiropractor helped matters and brought me some degree of normalcy, but I am not sure that it will ever be back to that if felt before. Unfortunately, I have a degenerative issue that is common of people with some age in their world and so I believe that is part of the problem. As I evaluate things in light of my learning objective journey, the learning part is dealing with new issue of pain and how to work with them. On a brighter note, now that I am using a pillow-pedic orthopedic pillow, I have noticed that I’m having less paresthesia my fingers during the night. I don’t know that it is related, but I find it interesting that now that I’m using a different pillow for my neck and as a result, I don’t wake up with my fingers tingling. I know this sounds like old folk stuff to most of those who are bothering to read this posting, but as I look back at things in light of this assignment, it is what we are supposed to do.
2. Identify personal elements of my learning world and how I interact with expanded knowledge about myself in the education world. As this semester has come to an end, I’m finding that I’m a little frustrated in the lack of assistance I have had from the education department from Belmont. Although I’ve met some really fantastic professors, overall I would rate the Grade Education program with a D. I should have asked for an advisor to work with me from day one, but I thought that someone was basically looking over my records and assuring that I was tracking correctly through the course work and how I was doing. I was wrong. I feel like my progression through the program has been done without a lot of guidance and that in a manner of speaking, I’ve wasted some time. My thesis has been very difficult for me, English Language Learning, and fortunately I stumbled upon it from my involvement with subbing for MNPS. I do believe that my Thesis advisor has been helpful where she could be, but in light of the value of ELL in Education today, Belmont has missed the boat when it comes to preparing grad students for the requirements that awaits them when they will try and get a job, unless they are certified in ELL.
3. Complete my thesis about ELLs in public education today by the end of May. I’m still cranking away on the thesis and have about 30 days to go. I’ve finished chapters 1 through 3, of 5, but I’ve got to work with my advisor a little more closely and assure that I’m hitting the milestones that are important to her. It has been a difficult process for me. I did enjoy the time Dr. Kimmons spent covering the major points of working through the thesis process on the last day of class. Although I’m working a different format for getting it completed, it has given me direction to know where to turn to get myself out of the hole I have found myself in.
4. Study for taking the ELL praxis, for teacher certification and take it before the end of May. After attending a job fair, I found out that taking this test is going to be one of my top priorities and my goal will now be to fully focus on studying for it and getting it behind me.
This course has been helpful in helping me to understand myself in a different light and to better appreciate the opportunities that being a grad degree program have offered me. I also feel better prepared to use technology to build my education program around when I finally get in a classroom with students. I fully plan to connect with other professional in the field of ELL and general education so as to have a good pool of resources to use and to offer lessons learned to others that are going through the same purpose.
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