The TESOL program offered by Touro College has taught me a lot of valuable lessons about being an effective teacher that can inspire and change lives for the better. Through my time in Touro College, my eyes have been opened to where I have limited my students as learners and growing minds. Touro College has introduced me to the necessity of equitable, authentic, and appropriate instruction for students of the most diverse populations this world has ever seen. Touro College has taught me a variety of effective and reliable practices when it comes to assisting students in learning English as well as mastering their content areas while growing on their linguistic modalities. The program at Touro College has also taught me the importance of opening my educational doors to incorporate all cultures and represent and appreciate all cultures and backgrounds that can be experienced, learned through, and understood as an important part of our interconnected society and world. Touro College has assisted me in understanding what classrooms need to look like and function nowadays in order to assure all students have an equal opportunity at a fair, effective, and authentic education.
Over the past two years, I have grown professionally and personally thanks to the amazing program I have been a part of. Personally, I have grown to appreciate all the cultures that are represented in my community and the world around me. All my life I grew up in a homogenous neighborhood that’s only cultural representation was a giant Native American in the middle of town. I grew up sheltered only by understanding my way of life and thinking that's how it is for all and how it should be and always be. Looking back I feel stupid and naive of my previous thoughts. However, through Touro College’s program I have explored different cultures that I may not have ever thought of exploring before, trying to understand different beliefs and cultural p[ractices. My world views have become global views and I go into each experience with an open mind ready to see what may happen. Although my repertoire of friends has not grown in diversity much, I feel more comfortable meeting and talking with people of different cultures and learning about their past and who they are as a person. I am always excited to meet new people and learn about a culture that I have never learned about or researched. Touro College has made me a more globally conscious person who does not ignore the other cultures and their influences, but embraces and appreciates all they have done and understands the importance and meaning of the culture to those people as well as those around them. In my professional sphere, I have opened my eyes to what equitable, authentic, and fair education really means in our society nowadays. The meaning of equitable education has changed and continues to change and Touro College helped me understand that fair and equal goes past what they learn but how they learn and through what means they achieve that learning. Representation, differentiation of learning styles and activities, and appropriate materials are only a few of the plethora of necessary items to be considered when creating an equitable classroom where all students can strive and succeed. The fieldwork faculty and cooperating teachers I have worked with have helped me fine tune my strengths and assist with my weaknesses when educating this population of students. All feedback that is given to me is taken into careful consideration and I attempt to act upon what is said as often as possible. I feel that when these discussions happen, they are deeper and more real than other discussions about education. I feel that we all have the same common goal in mind, which allows us to be more open to what people believe needs to be changed or improved. Overall, every ounce of critique and constructive criticism I receive from my cooperating teachers and practicum faculty is used to better my lessons and overall teaching styles for my students. We are all on the same team with the same goal in mind. When my teammates give me advice, you better believe I'm listening and using it. In order to continue to improve and grow as an educator, I will be on the lookout for whatever professional development or webinars that may be offered to continue my learning. I will also continue to try and find time to go into the classrooms I have worked with to continue to assist in the teaching process in order to continue to practice the skills and abilities I have learned through my time at Touro College. I will continue to read articles and look at resources on the plethora of TESOL websites like ColorinColorado to ensure that I stay up-to-date on the new strategies, trends, and understandings in the world of learning English as a New Language. |