Sheridee Wills (Hartzog) Week 1 Reflection 12-27-2013 This first week has een a little o!

erwhel"ing#in oth good and ad wa$s% &'" learning a rand new technolog$ and the distance "akes online co(rses a little harder for "e) & lo!e learning c(r!es% &n "$ three $ears of teaching ( oth *ri!ate teaching and s( stit(ting)+ &'!e alwa$s had a lo!e for the "iddle $ears) & fa!or those three $ears o!er an$ other grades) & think it's the attit(de the$ are starting to get+ or the fact that the$ are $o(ng eno(gh to still ha!e a *assion for learning while old eno(gh to e inde*endent and "ore res*onsi le) & feel like the "ain stereot$*es are foc(sed aro(nd the hor"one-ind(ced attit(des) & know that efore & started teaching+ so"e wo(ld tell "e the$ were a "iddle school teacher and "$ knee-,erk res*onse wo(ld e an a*olog$ eca(se & sincerel$ felt ad for the" that the$ had all the attit(des) & felt it took a s*ecial *erson to -handle. "iddle school/little did & know & was one of those s*ecial *eo*le%% 0 stereot$*e that &'!e added (that & tr(l$ elie!e was fro" "$ st(dent teaching e1*erience) is that the "ain foc(s is to *re*are the st(dent for high school instead of taking the" for who the$ are right now) 2eing in the s*ecial ed(cation field+ &'!e noticed that the &34s aren't geared toward what the$ can acco"*lish in their three $ears of "iddle school+ (t rather how the$ will e *re*ared for high school and what the$ want to do after the$ grad(ate) 0fter reading the fo(r *assages+ the one thing that st(ck o(t to "e is that this is the *ri"e ti"e to feed into their interests+ strengths+ and weaknesses) & fir"l$ elie!e (and the first article ,(stified "$ o*inion) that what the st(dents acco"*lish in "iddle school will cata*(lt the" into the *erson the$ wish to e) Work ethic+ self-estee"+ and self-efficac$ need to e fine-t(ned d(ring this ti"e *eriod a"idst the raging hor"ones) Self-efficac$ is reall$ i"*ortant d(ring this stage eca(se high school+ college+ and the ,o field will not co"*li"ent the st(dent on e!er$ acco"*lish"ent) Ha!ing the internal -& can do it%. will e the intrinsic "oti!ation to hel* *ro*el the" toward their goals) & also feel that self-efficac$ (and how it is instilled in toda$'s st(dents) eco"es a great stor$ line for "o!ies and ooks) The realit$ that a "a,orit$ of st(dents do not recei!e a *ositi!e "oti!ation fro" ho"e+ so "oti!ational ooks and "o!es ased on tr(e e!ents can hel* ins*ire and "oti!ate e!en the "ost (nlikel$ of st(dents) 5ne ti"e+ & was s( stit(ting in a ,(!enile detention center and was *leasantl$ s(r*rised when the$ res*onded *ositi!el$ to a 6hristian- ased "o!ie called -7acing the 8iants.) &t's "o"ents like that that "ake teaching for "e worth the cr(""$ *a$checks)