Ryan Tsolis

Final Reflection, Top Ten Lessons Learned:

1. It takes a village to raise a child.

There are so many factors that play into a child’s life. My very first day in the field,
there was a student who was too distraught over the things going on in her life to
participate in class. Talking with my teacher after, she said that she has problems
both at home and in school. It really opened my eyes to how some problems are
insurmountable to resolve alone. It’s a group effort to turn a child’s life around.

2. Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.

It’s not the case all the time, but planning for the worst is generally a good idea. In
the case of my service learning project, I didn’t have the number of volunteers that I
was expecting. With some foresight, I could have had a plan in place for this and
saved myself some stress on the day of the project.

3. Plan whenever you can.

I received this advice from my teacher, but I’m for sure going to do this in the future.
The more thought I put into my lessons and actions, the better education my
students will have. Planning in advance is also important, planning at least 2 weeks
in advance.

4. Students can be helpful in class.

There was one student in particular who was always very helpful in class for my
teacher. This student would run quick errands for her and was a leader among her
peers. Giving such a student an outlet for action and an opportunity to help is
rewarding for the student and helpful for the teacher.

5. Just keep swimming.

When things go awry, don’t panic. With a good plan and quick thinking, things can
move along smoothly with little consequence. In my SLP, I wanted to be able to
move around to different groups to supervise, but had to adapt to supervise one
group that really needed someone to lead them. Everything was fine in the end.

6. Communication is key.

Nothing fantastic gets done together without prompt, effective communication. In

ED 204, I saw some of my peers having difficulty planning with their teachers. I had
 no such issues with mine because I had time to talk with her during the school day. I
see that I am very happy with my project and the process due to great
communication.

7. Ask your superiors questions.

Experience is priceless and teachers in the classroom have it. The inconceivable
happens in the classroom and other teachers can help me to be prepared for the
unprepared. My teacher had a substitute who had a criminal record and didn’t teach
the class the material for the day. Second-hand experience helps one approach
strange circumstances with confidence. Also, it’s better to be embarrassed for not
knowing something and find the answer than it is to keep your pride and remain
ignorant. Learning, it’s what we do.

8. Bloom’s Taxonomy is the bomb-diggity.

It all makes sense if you structure your lessons around Bloom’s Taxonomy. A
Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing, provides an effective, cohesive
visual representation of the learning process and I now understand how learning
works. I will forever have a tab open on my laptop with Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy.

9. Learning to be a teacher is a long road.

From my teacher at Centennial, to Dr. Sarah Cannon, every teacher has had a long
road to get to where they are in the classroom. Learning is a life-long experience and
arguably more-so for a teacher. A teacher must get to know new students, new
teaching strategies, and new problems every step of the way. Patience, open-
mindedness, and determination are essential in the road ahead.

10. Begin with the end in mind.

There’s a lot with this one. In my SLP, I didn’t complete my main objective of
instilling confidence in the boys’ choir to its fullest potential. With focus and
mindfulness, I could have done better. Initiative and the presence of mind to keep
my goals in sight are things I need to improve on if I am to achieve my goal of
becoming a teacher.