As we go on, we remember...

Finally, the culmination of my time in Social Studies methods. The class has been a whirlwind and I feel like I am still spinning, even with 90% of my work turned in. At our last meeting in class, we had our celebration of learning. The title for this night seems so appropriate. It was nice to spend time with my classmates and professor, and have time to reflect, laugh, and talk about something other than assignments. Colleen's amazing cupcakes are pictured left!

As a learner, I was never excited about social studies. I did okay in my classes, but the information wasn't exciting or relatable. I think one of the most important things I learned in this class, is that that doesn't have to be the case. Social Studies can be exciting! One of the activities we did that opened my eyes was the artifact bag. Not only did I enjoy putting it together, I really liked seeing what other people did for their's. Colleen's bag was creative and fun for me to open up and discover. I can see how this would translate to an elementary school classroom, and how much students would enjoy this kind of lesson.

I also realized while working on our unit plan, that creativity can be used in new and exciting ways. The technology available to us now leaves no excuse for students to be able to take what they learning and make something with it. For our cooperative learning lesson, students used research that they did in the previous lesson to create a Glog. I will sing the praises of Glog and how easy and fun it is to use for years to come. I look forward to using software like this in my classroom to give students a chance to learn while expressing themselves!

This course also offered a very important chance to collaborate on projects. This is something a lot of future educators don't realize will be so important. Working in a classroom now with one teacher and another paraprofessional, I can see how important it is to be able to work together. With so many different personalities filling a school, being able to work together and put differences aside to do what is best for the children is key.

On a personal level, this class really made me hunker down and become more organized. Taking this class, along with two others, meant I needed to plan and manage my time to make sure projects were getting completed in order. The constant need to blog made sure I was giving this class attention every week, even if I didn't have an assignment due. I will fully admit, I am still a terrible procrastinator, and probably will be for the rest of my life, but at least my planner is in better shape than it used to be.

Taking a class with Dr. Smirnova is always a wild ride. But the most important thing to remember is that the way the class is run is truly preparing you for the future. The demands of being a teacher go far beyond what people conceive it be. Learning to balance your time, make lessons exciting, and constantly grow and adapt are important skills every teacher needs. So thank you for putting em through the ringer!