The White Whale

    The readings for this morning's class is the white whale of education. How do teachers get students excited? How do they educate their students, so that the students can create connections on their own and exemplify them in speech and writing? Is this not the goal of education?
     Tomorrow, in my Ed Tech class, we will plan our first lesson as pre-service teachers. Don't get me wrong, I have experience in teaching. I have been a tutor and a quarterback coach for the last four years, but these were always controlled environments. My expectations were simple. I had one, maybe two or three, students who I was supposed to educate. Therefore, my educational practices were always tailored to individual students. My instruction methods were always individual-based. I never had to worry about varying methods for many different students in one classroom. And, I had never been in charge of assessment. In a way, my teaching was not "traditional" education. But, tomorrow that changes. Tomorrow, I take my first legitimate step into the PROFESSION of teaching.
     For the last few weeks, we have spent time talking about national educational reform, teaching with technology, and other global issues. Now, as I prepare for my first 'real' teaching exercise, all these progressive forms of education and changes seem overwhelming. It's almost as if my only concern is having a plan and seeing that plan through, but I have been in enough classes to know that classes never always go as planned. I guess tomorrow begins my hunt for the white whale. I hope that a year from now when I write the epilogue from my crazy teacher, I am still afloat.