Chapter 12 discussion

This chapter really brought back memories of the IRB I did for my first or second class with Dr. Drescher. It was the spring of 2004, I think, and part of my group's IRB paper dealt with the perceptions of students...do they feel safe at school, liked by their peers and teachers, valued as individuals, and so on. Part of our IRB was a survey of ESL/ELL students from 2-4 schools, and it was one of my favorite graduate assignments. Our group really got a lot out of the students' responses to the survey, and I think we all became better teachers and better individuals because of the work we did in that class. Something else that struck a chord with me while reading this chapter is the importance of introspection. I'm pretty sure this does not mean being an introvert, though that's kind of how I operate if I don't know someone or am in a totally new environment. I have to get to know a person or group of people before I feel I can be myself. Still, by knowing that about myself and through reflective practices (journaling, various writing assignments I've had to do for my graduate classes, and through various activities during teacher improvement days at work and other curriculum building meetings) I feel that I can overcome the difficulties I face and/or at least make strides to improve my teaching methods/strategies. By doing this, each individual teacher will improve themselves, and in turn, improve the school environment for the students and faculty as a whole. It's kind of, in my opinion, a "win-win" situation.