thankful

I would like to dedicate this blog to the professors I was lucky enough to have during my graduate studies at Penn. Going into graduate school I had no idea what to expect, or how it would differ from undergrad. I quickly discovered that my Penn experience would be very unique from my undergraduate experience because of the manner in which each of my professors empowered us to critically engage in the material in a way that resonated with our own personal passions and professional goals.

During undergrad, I found it ironic that many of my professors in my elementary education major often lectured us as we passively took in information. This was ironic because they espoused student-centered classrooms and students taking agency over their own learning. I always found it odd that the curriculum that supported these philosophies was designed in a way that hindered us from self exploration and student-centered learning.

Coming to graduate school was a totally different experience because the professors valued and took advantage of our unique backgrounds and opinions, and enabled us to take an active role in our learning. I feel so grateful that each of my professors empowered us to seek learning and acted as facilitators to guide and inspire the knowledge seeking process. This was a meaningful experience because my peers and I felt respected for our prior experiences and felt that we could each provide knowledge and work together to critically engage in material and seek  inquiry.

Even my “elective” classes, which were less directly tied to my TESOL major, were profoundly useful for me. These professors made an effort to tailor the classes to fit the needs of the individual learners in the classroom. I was so impressed with my teachers in these classes because they approached their classes of students from diverse majors in a manner that enabled them to get to know our individual passions, to help us capitalize on knowledge that was best suited for our interests and professional goals. 

My Penn professors were so helpful because they not only provided me with abundant theory and teaching pedagogies, but they also served as role models for the type of teacher I will strive to become. The ways in which my professors instilled in us a deep passion for learning and for us to take autonomy over our learning inspired me to strive to do the same in my own teaching context. Out of all of the valuable lessons I was taught and readings I was provided, I can honestly say the part of Penn that was most impactful for me was my deeply passionate and inspiriting professors. I want to thank them for serving as models of what I hope to become!