I found Dana Fusco's interesting. I wasn't sure what exactly she was going to talk about but I think the gist of her talk was about agency and how it affects high school students. The data she showed was really interesting to see that many students would rather be in after school programs because they enjoy it more than being in school which says a lot that teachers aren't getting the students attention and engaging them in activities that they are in interested it. After reading Finn's article it sort of relates to what Dana Fusco was talking about and the idea of these schools that just don't care about their students or don't do much to engage them in school because of the type of environment/school they went to.
My first session was exciting, I enjoyed it a lot. I was thinking the workshops were going to be huge but in the first one there was only 10 people. It made it much more comfortable and not so awkward. It made me appreciate nature and how I love living in the woods and not in the city. It also made me realize I should become creative. My mom used to love to go outside and draw and we haven't done it in years and that we should start doing something fun and slow down our lives.
In my second group I was really looking forward to it. In my head before the class I was ready to join Teach for America after listening to the speaker and it was something that I knew I wanted to do. Well two things about the presentation it was basically about City Year and about some other language program allowing elementary school students to learn a different language. The guy didn't know much about Teach for America and I was a little disappointed. I'm not sure what I would be interested in doing after college. They both gave a lot of different information about their different groups.
The only picture I have from the event is what I made from my first session. It was a nature drawing book. I loved that we were able to do something fun and learn how much nature is no longer part of our children's world and that teachers should incorporate it into their lesson plan.
I also found Dana Fusco’s speech to be very interesting. After school programs help students unwind and socialize. Students love after school activities because they are more interesting than school. Teachers do not know how to make learning fun, they do not engage their students in activities, and they struggle to get their students attention. It seems like you learned a lot from your workshops and that you enjoyed going to the Promising Practices Conference. I encourage you to join Teach for America, talk to someone who knows more about this subject that way you know whether or not you want to join.
ReplyDeleteWe really don't realize the impact that after school programs have on children.They're beneficial in so many ways. I also enjoyed Dr. Fusco's speech, she shared many interesting points about helping students thrive. Drawing is a great way to slow down and think of the important things, instead of always being busy. Nice post, and I wish I had taken the drawing workshop!
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