Entry 5. Dear Dr. Jones...

 Dear Dr. Jones, 

This year has been off to a great start. I wasn't quite sure what to expect coming into my first semester of grad school, but I now see it is very similar to undergrad but with less class time and more outside work. With that being said, I am really enjoying my classes. I expected my classes to dive into diversity and the importance of having an inclusive classroom, but I never expected for it to be embedded in all of my courses and all of the work. Also, before my time at Naz, I had never heard or culturally/historically responsive teaching, and looking back I'm not too sure a lot of my classes incorporated its aspects. In your class, however, I am able to not only learn about CRT, but also experience it through layered texts and class discussions, along with personal reflections. Since being introduced to Muhammad, I have found a new excitement for teaching and reflected more on what my role means for and to my students.

These self reflections have also caused me to become aware of my own literacy habits. For example, at the beginning of the semester we were introduced to the SQ4R method. The method made me realize how many more ways I could think about and interact with a text. Taking the time to write active notes and develop questions starts a conversation within myself that further dissects the text. Doing this made me realize how little my previous habits encouraged me to dive deeper into material.

I feel like I am in a good place going into the second half of this semester. While there are certainly things that I need to work on, like time management, I am proud of myself for where I am. Can't wait for the second half!

Sincerely, 

Adeline