Reflection

The past couple of classes have opened my eyes up to a completely new world. Growing up and going to catholic schools throughout my childhood I haven't really seen firsthand many of the topics were discussing such as child abuse, bullying or poverty. The class while being depressing at times is a great opportunity for everyone who most likely came from a differet background to become better prepared for an environment which will be unpredicatable in the future.

The most eye opening topic we went over in class had to be child abuse. From time to time I would witness such things as poverty and bullying but never in my schooling had I ever encountered child abuse. To find out the real statistics and just how prevalent the problem is frightens you as a future educator. To realize that most likely in your time as a teacher you'll have to deal with cases of child abuse kind of leaves a depressing though in the back of your mind. From all of the papers and presentations I think I'll be a lot better prepared now and hopefully I'll be able to both notice and handle cases of child abuse when their present. Before the class I don't know if I would have had the same understadning as I already said I 've really never discussed or seen cases of child abuse. Being able to see bojects outside of my usual protected bubble that has been my education has given me a better preparation for whatver I may encounter and hopefully now I'll be better prepared mentally and emotionally for whatever arises.

What I found to be one of the most helpful things we did as a class was yeterdays counselors panel. There were a couple reasons why the beneficial. First I though the counselors cemented my beliefs and what I hope to complete in my class and thats a strong relationship with each and every student. To really help students out with cases involving child abue a teacher must first gain the trust and confidence of one's students. While teachers don't want to open up about everything with their students, teachers must be willing to show their personality and create an environment in which all students feel comfortable to come and ask for any assistance they may need. Throughout the last couple of days seeing some of the negative world of schools it's shown me that a teacher must become a strong personality inside their classroom. The counelors only reinforced my thoughts that no matter the situation a students will struggle to come for help if a teacher hasn't already laid the strong foundation of communication and trust so it's important to create that strong relationship with your students so you can aid students in any matter which may be troubling them.