What I'm Learning

I just wrote an e-mail and figured Ben might not be the only one wondering what I'm doing at school these days. So here you go.

So, you asked about my coursework. Currently I am taking 3 Education program classes and 2 Geography classes. The Ed. classes are:
1) Educational Psychology: The text seems good but the teacher is a joke and I will literally be able to get an A without reading the text. This is the class in which we're watching Harry Wong instead of being taught. I am actually learning a bit on my own from the text, the research project (how one variable, mine is socioeconomic status, affects student academic achievement), and yes, even from Harry Wong.

2) Education for Exceptional Learners (aka "Special Education"): I wasn't looking forward to this class at all, but that's because I didn't realize the extent to which "special ed" has changed from when we were in school. I had no idea I was going to have to teach these kids in the general ed. classroom. Now that I know I'll probably have to, I am wide eyed and highlighting. I like the text a lot, the teacher is a weak teacher but has real life experience as an itinerant hearing-loss specialist and is a woman, an African-American, and has her Ph.D. I think the class is by far the most valuable of what I"m taking this semester as a lot of what we're learning, regardless whether they're validated practices for kids with Autism or kids with low vision, it all seems to be generally applicable to the student population: i.e. be organized, be clear, have high expectations, don't make assumptions, and teach at a billion different levels.

3) I'm taking the first of three required and sequential pre-student teaching "Field Experience" practicums. They're all only a credit and require no classroom meetings. We have online discussions and then we have to visit schools. This semester will be the easiest as we only had one half day required- we all met at a inner city elementary school to have a tour, meet the Michigan Teacher of the Year (who normaly is a teacher at that school... my section of this practicum just got lucky since our professor worked at the school before she retired), and observe class. It was my first chance to get into an poor, urban, and black school. I don't know if it is PC to describe it that way, but it was. And it is also a high achieving, improving, succeeding school, which was really cool to see. The next two practicums require 25 and 30 hours respectively on our own. Looks like I'll be doing mine at another (less successful by far) very low income, very diverse (98% black, 2% Hispanic) high school- by choice. I'm scared shitless and also really, really excited to LEARN how to work at an urban school. When you said you wanted to teach in an inner city school I thought you were crazy. I don't know if I can do it because I am *such* a sheltered white girl.... but I don't really *want* to be that sheltered white girl. Its a real handicap, in my opinion, and I'd like to see if I can work my way out of it. As an inner city teacher is quoted in the research that is currently sitting right next to me says (of COURSE I'm blabbing on because I am supposed to be writing a paper) "Its really easy to teach in schools where parents have already done all the work for you beforehand". Yeah. Anyway... I'm going to give it my best shot.

That said (assuming you don't need the lowdown on the Geography courses), what advice can you give me?? I will start this next practicum in the last week of April or the beginning of May. What's a scared little white girl to do? :) I'm only partially kidding, btw.