Week 02 Reflection: Semi-Intrinsic Fuel

This week has taught me that, no matter what rewards are promised, a teacher must engage in the tasks of the profession to for intrinsic rewards. The pay is not even reasonable considering the amount of education and personal funds that are required to engage in the practice at even a simply satisfactory level. The amount of personal time that must be devoted to the tasks of the profession "after-hours" is ridiculous. In addition to this, other professionals, even educational professionals, seem unenlightened as to the many facets of the daily life of the Exceptional Education teacher. However, as was previously discovered in my investigations, this fact only reinforces my dedication to the field. The ultimate goal of this profession is the transfer of understanding to students; and I am incredibly motivated by this ultimate goal.

In all truth, lack of gratitude from others is can be very discouraging, especially when compacted with the disapproval of students who are much more likely to rather be playing a video game or watching television than learning seemingly meaningless algorithms. But this is a part of the overall challenge for the teacher. It is not the student's responsibility to automatically be inspired to learn what the teacher is presenting. Rather, it is the teacher's duty to create a learning experience that inspires the student to participate, learn, and retain the learning that has taken place. This challenge works to help me in maintaining a renewed level of interest in helping each student.

It is with this level of renewed interest that I am likely to engage in the upcoming week. I have grown more and more familiar with the students with whom I work, and so I understand how to present the upcoming subject of basic division. I have taken numerous factors into consideration and have begun to plan what I believe will honestly be very effective learning opportunities that will help to cement the concept into their battery of knowledge. I plan to work with this group of students beginning tomorrow morning, and hope to see the fruits of my labor, even if it is only on their faces as that adorable little look of enlightenment. But even if this reward is not given to me, I will be even more inspired to seek it, altering my instructional practices in hopes of eventually causing the students to prove their mastery of the concept, even if not the procedures right away. So, it is with anticipation of the best that I enter this new week; may the students be as inspired as I am.