Senior Portfolio: Reflection Essay
By: Amy Wooten
Throughout my college career I have learned patience and understanding for those with views conflicting with mine. I recognize that others come from different backgrounds and have experiences which impact their worldviews. Numerous people at Indiana Wesleyan University have contributed to my patience and understanding, professors and friends included.
I have had four professors who have impacted my education at Indiana Wesleyan. My first semester at IWU was spent with Dr. McCracken during the course Young Ault Literature. The class consisted of 6 students. He emphasized student experience, which was a concept that was new to me. There was no longer one interpretation or one right answer. He said students all come from different backgrounds, so how could teachers expect them the read a piece of literature and look at it the same way as their peers? We read the novels Thirteen Reasons Why, The Monstrumologist, Brown Girl Dreaming, American Born Chinese, The Fault in Our Stars, Homeless Bird, The Hunger Games, True Believer, Ghosts of Heaven, and Stuck in Neutral. These books offered diverse perspectives and stories. Through Dr. McCracken’s class I learned that experiences are valuable and affect how students perceive the world.
Professor DeMichael quickly became one of my favorite professors. Her ability to relate to and understand students is something I deeply admire and respect. From the time I had a class with her and beyond, she has been a calming and encouraging person for me. I can go to her when I am struggling and count on her constructive criticism and confidence in my abilities to encourage me. She taught me that teaching goes beyond content; it requires the teacher creating a safe environment for students. I hope to create that for my students.
Dr. Esh challenged me in my college career. He is one of the most knowledgeable and intelligent professors I know. He knows his content and the history and context of the pieces. I always learned from his lectures and the discussions he facilitated. He pushed me to do my best in my English content. For example, he would ask if I found an interesting quote from our reading. If I did, he asked me how I would interpret the quote? He taught me that challenging students helps them grow and gain confidence in themselves. By encouraging me to use my own interpretations, he put into practice what Dr. McCracken taught me.
Dr. Karnehm-Esh also challenged me; however, she went beyond what I expected from college. People would always tell me that college would challenge my beliefs and open me up to the world’s views. In American Poetry with Dr. Karnehm-Esh, the class consisted of students from different backgrounds. There was an activist-feminist, a conservative Christian, a transgender, a woman with three kids, and a conservative male. The blend of these backgrounds made for very interesting conversations. Dr. Karnehm-Esh opened up controversial topics discussed in our poetry readings to class discussion. There were various conflicting beliefs. I learned tolerance, respect, and how to properly conduct controversial discussions.
These four professors have impacted the way I view others different from me. They have also inspired me to relay what I have learned intellectually and emotionally to my students. Not only have my professors played an important role in my learning, but my friends have impacted my college experience as well.
I graduated college a semester early, which advanced me in some of the classes I took. Therefore, I was one, sometimes two, years younger than my classmates, which had its advantages. The advantage I appreciated the most was being surrounded by mentors in every class. Maria’s curiosity for knowledge and questions that extend from her desire to know more is what I admire about her. She is always trying to solve a problem and questioning the traditionalism of things. Maria challenged me to question things and not always go with my traditional flow. I only got to know Jillian a semester before she graduated; however, in classes, when asked to speak, she always had an intelligent answer that demonstrated her deep critical thinking skills. Jillian taught me to ponder deeply, and she understood my internal thinking. Sarah is someone I could sit and admire. She is beyond intelligent, offers a counter-argument, and a strong one with support. She gives good constructive feedback. She challenged me to think about why I believe what I believe and demonstrated supporting beliefs. Jaylan, similar to Sarah, challenged my traditional way of thinking, but she also taught me understanding and tolerance for others. Jaylan and I didn’t agree on certain topics, but we both respected the other’s opinion and understood the background it was coming from. Grace taught me confidence and stance. Alex’s intelligence and wisdom are dumbfounding. He offers great discussion and goes beyond basic thinking. Jaime’s calm and collected presence is something I admire. She offers a difference lens to look literature through and learns from literature no matter her opinion on it. All of these men and women demonstrated what it means to be a person of letters. Through each of their lessons, I have come to value and practice their skills. These skills are what I desire to teach my students.
Through my experiences with the different personas of professors and friends I feel prepared to teach diverse students and prepare the students for the outside world. My emotional growth of understanding other’s thoughts and feelings has prepared me to be the emotional support for my students. The challenges I have faced intellectually have prepared me to challenge my students accordingly. Because of my college experience, I have confidence as a teacher to prepare students to enter the world with intellectual and emotional integrity.
Amy Wooten graduated from IWU as an English Education major. She hopes to acquire a job, then go out into the world and empower young minds in the English subject. She will also buy a dog at some point. Her favorite thing about MLL is that it cultivated a community that she continues to cherish.