Señora Cummins' Reflections

I love book clubs.  I have been a part of many through the years.  I love the feeling of community and the feeling of being on a journey with others.   The first time I taught my SPAN 2312 class I was overwhelmed.  As an adjunct I taught 1411 enough times to feel comfortable with it.  Then I added 1 section of 1412.  That semester was a challenge--I had to stay 1 step ahead of my students.  Whew.  I think I learned about as much as they did that semester. When I moved into full-time, I found out I had the job the Friday before classes started Monday.   I would be teaching at the college face to face, online sections for the first time and dual credit in a high school face to face.  Yikes.  It was a lot. I had never taught dual credit students in a high school setting before.  And, I was teaching a class I had never taught in a book I had never even seen.  Added to this, the instructor I was replacing had no conta...

I give my students a feedback survey mid-semester and at the end of the semester. I largely do it for them--reflection is so important as we're learning.   I also benefit from their responses.  What is working well?  What isn't? A student told me all of the stuff I make--videos, Quizlet practice sets and especially Kahoot games, are his favorite part of the class.  He said what I create is always better than what he finds in the textbook/online platform.  He also apologized for asking me to do more work because he knows I'm already busy and all of those things I create take a long time.   I'm thrilled to know it's time well spent. As a rule I send out a video that I create with my weekly announcements.  I don't check to see how many of my students actually view them.  If even 1 benefits it's worth my time.  (I edit all the CCs so yes, it does take a bit of time). Today's (1:02) video for my 4th semester class: https://youtu.be/...

 I like Twitter but I really don't like how mean people are on it.   I was raised to be polite and not upset other people.  Clearly, not everyone had that upbringing. In my Spanish classes I'm responsible for addressing culture.  We identify customs, values and traditions of Spanish-speaking countries and compare and contrast them with our own. I love the "bigness" of this. If a student is "super woke" he/she can compare and contrast in a way that suits him/her.  If a student isn't "so woke" he/she can also compare and contrast in his/her own way. My students in my 1411 classes do a mural project.  They research and find a mural created by a Hispanic artist.  They find the artist's intention.  Here's the magic:  they evaluate if the artist achieved his/her intention.  I'm always so pleased with the critical thinking skills of my students with this project. In class Tuesday I showed a sampling of student projects and we discussed the...