Sarah's+221+Reflection



I still remember my first day of class, when, after watching a 2 minute clip of teaching, I claimed that a teacher was “invested” in his students. Thus ensued the first of many intense discussions on professionalism experienced throughout the semester. Could I really make that claim after witnessing hardly any student-teacher interaction? The answer I learned that day was no, we could not, an albeit simple answer that began my journey in 221. Throughout this course I have learned that being a “professional” is not solely about looking the part, but also about the way we perceive our interactions with others and the way we share these experiences. We must keep an open mind and use appropriate expressions to fit each and every situation. As I learned that day, and as I strive to remember every day, being professional requires keeping an open, non-judgmental mind that is well-equipped to assess situations with the highest form of conduct and academic language available. The journey that I took this semester, side by side with six classmates who quickly became some of my best friends, taught me that to be professional means to not only look the part, but to speak the language and to maintain the capacity for equal understanding. In the words of Jiddu Krishnamurti, “The ability to observe without evaluating is the highest form of intelligence," a lesson this course continually taught me and proceeds to teach me every day.