Final Reflections

It is unbelievable how quickly this class went.  Today, as we went around the room and discussed our heritage, it was as if it was only yesterday that we did our initial introductions. And I am struck by how quickly a group of individuals can bond if given the right environment; I feel that our instructor gave us a true learning community. Throughout this class, I felt safe to express/explore various opinions and ideas without the fear of judgment or ridicule. I believe that this class was an excellent model of what we should provide for our own students. As common core stresses the importance of higher order thinking, students must feel safe to go the edge of commonly held theories/ideas and explore the possibilities for themselves. I, myself, felt comfortable in doing that in this class setting. And initially, I believed that there was a lot of "busy work" involved; however, I can see in retrospect how every activity served a purpose in bringing together the CSEL and the overall objectives of the class.