User:Salex008

Hello, all!

My name is Sommer, and I am 21 years old. This is actually my first semester at ODU. I graduated from TCC last year with an Associate's Degree in General Studies and decided to pursue my education further as an English major with a minor in Secondary Education. My plan is to become a high school English teacher; however, I'm not yet sure whether the profession would be right for me or not. (I suppose I'll find out soon enough...) I have quite a few interests: writing, reading, drawing, hiking, Egyptology, Archaeology, animals, painting, gardening, singing, travel, and on and on. I also have an (unhealthy?) obsession with tea. I don't have every variety yet, but I'm working on it. :) I also collect teacups, stamps, and coins.  (As you can imagine, my brain is all over the place, and I'm known for being absent-minded sometimes.) In addition, I work part-time as an assistant librarian at a local public library.  The job is so-so--patrons can be quite nasty at times--but I love the people I work with.  (Don't believe all that mess about crusty old librarians...they throw the best parties.)  ;)

My philosophy on education:
 * Teaching is a mixture of facilitating learning (teaching students how to find, understand, and analyze information on their own) and imparting the unique knowledge that one possesses as an instructor. (There is no either/or.)
 * Children should be taught at least one other language alongside English from a young age. When children are young, it's easier for them to acquire and retain the knowledge because their brains are forming so rapidly and they usually have more interest in learning.  Bi-lingual education should start in kindergarten and continue throughout high school and college.
 * The "No Child Left Behind" Act is a hindrance to learning. Children should be grouped by ability so as to reach their full potential.  Expectations should be high for every student, but those students who are struggling should be held back until they get it right, (rather than have the students who learn quickly held back until the slower-learning students get it right.)
 * Technology should be used to a point in the classroom, and teachers should be fully educated in this area; however, I believe traditional methods of learning have much more merit. Technology is not always reliable, and I can't tell you how many times I've been more focused on getting my computer to work correctly than on the assignment itself, or how often I've nearly gotten a not-so-wonderful grade on something not because I didn't know the material, but because technology failed me.  Also, young people stare at computer screens enough on their own during the day.  (I may be wrong about this, I admit, but it's my honest opinion.)
 * Assessment is less cut-and-dry sometimes in the area of English, I believe--many things (aside from spelling, grammar, and punctuation) are open to interpretation--but I'll attempt to measure my students' mastery of the English language through writing samples.

THE END (for now...)

Foundations of Education and Instructional Assessment: About the Authors link[]

Wow Sommer, you have so many great ideas about teaching!!! That is so cool! I really agreed with you on the No Child Left Behind Act, it is not fair to expect advanced students to be contecnt with a slow pace because of less advanced students in their class. We had "tracks" when I was in school that attempted to group students by their abilities - I always felt that these worked well. Also, I must say that I agree hands down with you about technology. I cannot count the times that I have been scared I have lost an assignment or that I would not be able to submit it due to computer problems. Also, some of the most notable minds of our time were not pushed by technology, but by a pure desire to learn and understand - something that can be provided by passionate teachers - like yourself.Mbiernot1979 (talk) 21:21, 1 June 2008 (UTC)