Blog 1: Survey Response

1. I liked to be called Maggie. 

2. I am from a small town outside of Buffalo called East Aurora. 

3. I am not 100% if I want to be a teacher or Speech Pathologist. If I do become a teacher, I would like to teach kids who have special needs, from Kindergarten to 5th grade.

4. I love going hiking, kayaking, and doing anything outdoors. This semester I want to learn how to do yoga, to help me be less stressed out about school. I also would like to join campus ministry and potentially sign up for an immersion trip.

5. After reading through many essays I finally found one that stood out to me a lot. The article was about two things that matter most to me, family and helping others. The reading was about a family of eight, who spent their summer vacation taking a road trip across America, helping families who have children with genetic disorders and illnesses. I gravitated to this article most because my family means a lot to me and I enjoy spending time volunteering at a refugee center in downtown Buffalo. http://www.people.com/article/family-road-trip-helps-others

6. In order to feel comfortable about taking risks in class, I like to feel that my classmates won't judge me about my opinions and if I don't get a question right in class. I also always feel more comfortable too, when the teacher goes at a pace the whole class is comfortable with and not a pace he/she thinks we should be going at. 

7.  A formative memory I have had as a student is when I was failing a science class but was too afraid to ask questions or speak up during class about my confusion, since my teacher would make a student feel bad about themselves if they didn't get everything right away.  I continued failing for another month or so, until I was put into AIS (academic intervention services class). At my school AIS had a reputation for being known as the class for "dumb" kids. I was embarrassed to be in it, but more embarrassed I had let my grade get so low, from being scared to ask for help. The class gave you one on one attention with a teacher and ended up improving my grade immensely. Looking back on the experience it was a great learning lesson. I came to the realization that I should never feel "dumb" for needing help, everyone needs help at some points, and most likely another person is confused as well. This situation has become one of the main reasons I want to become a teacher. I don't want other kids to feel "dumb" or not be comfortable coming to their teachers in times of need. Being a teacher you are given the opportunity to make learning a positive experience and I hope to be able to do that someday. 

8. A significant issue in education right now, is the Common Core. Having a younger brother, who is using Common Core, has enabled me to be exposed to the flaws of this system. My main issue with the Common Core is that it is hindering children from being creative. Children need to be able to solve problems/issues in their own ways. The Common Core is taking away from the early developmental years of how to be innovative and see things from different point of views. These early developmental years are key to their future and problems that may arise, without developing their own creativity abilities, they are going to struggle thinking outside of the box. Another main concern I have is technology. In today's society technology is everywhere and everyone has it. Although it does have its advantages, there are many disadvantages. Kids today rely to look everything up online, especially when it comes to school. There is a major increase in cheating and taking the easy way out of school work. Technology has also become a huge distraction in the classroom. Specifically cellphones cause students to be less focused about what is being taught. In addition to these disadvantages, technology is taken away from time being active in clubs or sports. With the immense amount of time people are spending on their devices, it means less time playing sports or joining clubs. This is problematic both physically and emotionally. Physically, students are getting little to no exercise, which could lead to obesity. Emotionally, kids are not developing quality relationships with fellow classmates and teachers. To improve this problem I think rules on when the appropriate time for technology use should be more heavily enforced. 

9. What made you want to become a college professor?
     If you had the chance to go back in time, knowing what you know now, would you choose a different profession?