Raise Your Hand If..

This article was part of a speech delivered by Noah Clark, BEd’17, at the School of Education Graduate’s Dinner.

Over the past ten months, we’ve learned that we need to engage our students.

For this lesson, I will ask some very simple questions and if those questions apply to you, I would ask that you raise your hand.

1. Raise your hand if you’ve started a sentence with “during my last placement.”

2. Raise your hand if you have more work in a 1.5 credit hour class than you do in a three credit hour class.

3. Raise your hand if you became accustomed to reflecting after every class.

4. Raise your hand if you started a sentence saying “my kids.”

5. Raise your hand if your students wouldn’t get off of technology during class.

6. Raise your hand if during our classes you used technology.

7. Raise your hand if you checked out before third semester even started.

8. Raise your hand if you’ve every expressed frustration with group work.

9. Raise your hand if you dressed super fancy on the first day, but had a steady decline after that.

10. Raise your hand if you second guessed everything you were doing in fear of a 701.

11. Raise your hand if you are thankful for all the hard work, time, and dedication the faculty and staff put in for us.

Now that we’ve completed our lesson, we will finish with an exit slip. I want you to reflect not on the grades, not on the class, not on what stream you’re in, but reflect on the memories we’ve made together. Reflect on how far we’ve come since sitting in orientation to almost being graduates. Reflect on the late night lessons, planning, and countless hours of class work. Reflect on the bonds and friendships we’ve made.

You don’t have to pass this assignment in, but take the time to appreciate the program and everything it had to offer us, personally and professionally.

Now, I am going to give you homework.

Your homework assignment is to go out and be the best teacher you can be using all the experiences we’ve gained in this program.