And Now, We Know.
Goal Reflection Essay
By Courtney Hansen
When I started working on my Master’s of
Art in Education focusing on Special Education and Literacy back in January of
2012 I had no idea what was in store for me.
At that time, I was teaching first grade in Maryland and I was looking
for ways to hook students on the whole idea of school and of learning in
general.
I had quite an inquisitive class and every day, many times each day, I would be asked “But, why?” While I love questions and the general inquisitive nature of young children, after the thirtieth question of the day the newness and excitement of the question was not too bright any more. It is funny, the things we do but don’t in that moment fully understand why we are doing them. I was looking for a way to support my knowledge and growth as a teacher when I signed up for this program.
“I want to learn new things: ideas, theories, and practices I can use and bring to my classroom.”
I was interested in looking for information that I could use and while I did find that, I discovered ways to better help, support, and inspire my students. With my students more inspired and more confident in their abilities, they grew and learned more than I could have ever hoped for.
One moment stands out clearly when I think of how my goals in this program affected the goals I had for my students. One day a little girl, Alyson, came to me and had a book in her hand and was pointing to a specific picture. The day before we had started to read a book from the Magic Tree House series about the Titanic. The class had quite the discussion about the events of the Titanic and many questions were asked about the Titanic. Alyson wanted to know if she could share what she had found out about the Titanic. She had come across a non-fiction article about the ship in an old reader’s anthology and she was so proud of herself that she and found some of the answers to her classmate’s questions from the day before and she wanted to share what she had learned. I about cried!
Alyson was no longer asking “But, why?” She now had the skills and the resources to not only answer her questions but her friend’s questions as well. I was no longer needed (at least all of the time) to answer their questions. Through all of our hard work and growth over the year my students now had the ability to explore and find things independently so they could say, like Alyson “And now we know.”
My goal for this program was to become a better teacher and give students the support they need to succeed. My goal as a teacher, even if I could not state it as clearly then as I can now, has not changed. My goal is to instill a sense of wonder, enthusiasm, and excitement so that students will all have the ability to ask the “But, why?” questions and know that we will figure it out together. But as I now know, my second goal for my students was for them to grow to the point where they would not only have the skill but the inclination to go off on their own after they wondered why and be able to return with the information necessary and say “And now we know.”
I had quite an inquisitive class and every day, many times each day, I would be asked “But, why?” While I love questions and the general inquisitive nature of young children, after the thirtieth question of the day the newness and excitement of the question was not too bright any more. It is funny, the things we do but don’t in that moment fully understand why we are doing them. I was looking for a way to support my knowledge and growth as a teacher when I signed up for this program.
“I want to learn new things: ideas, theories, and practices I can use and bring to my classroom.”
I was interested in looking for information that I could use and while I did find that, I discovered ways to better help, support, and inspire my students. With my students more inspired and more confident in their abilities, they grew and learned more than I could have ever hoped for.
One moment stands out clearly when I think of how my goals in this program affected the goals I had for my students. One day a little girl, Alyson, came to me and had a book in her hand and was pointing to a specific picture. The day before we had started to read a book from the Magic Tree House series about the Titanic. The class had quite the discussion about the events of the Titanic and many questions were asked about the Titanic. Alyson wanted to know if she could share what she had found out about the Titanic. She had come across a non-fiction article about the ship in an old reader’s anthology and she was so proud of herself that she and found some of the answers to her classmate’s questions from the day before and she wanted to share what she had learned. I about cried!
Alyson was no longer asking “But, why?” She now had the skills and the resources to not only answer her questions but her friend’s questions as well. I was no longer needed (at least all of the time) to answer their questions. Through all of our hard work and growth over the year my students now had the ability to explore and find things independently so they could say, like Alyson “And now we know.”
My goal for this program was to become a better teacher and give students the support they need to succeed. My goal as a teacher, even if I could not state it as clearly then as I can now, has not changed. My goal is to instill a sense of wonder, enthusiasm, and excitement so that students will all have the ability to ask the “But, why?” questions and know that we will figure it out together. But as I now know, my second goal for my students was for them to grow to the point where they would not only have the skill but the inclination to go off on their own after they wondered why and be able to return with the information necessary and say “And now we know.”