I really enjoyed our in-class discussions on everyone’s EdTalk books, as well as the entire project overall. I learned quite a bit about unique situations a child might be in and different ways to deal with them if they were my students. It is very important to offer as much support to students as possible, and there are plenty of students who need that support but will not reach out to you, so it is critical that you take the time to check in on your students. This will not only show them that you care and want to help, but also that they can feel safe to talk to you. Through this process, I learned that when it comes to controversial topics, it is essential that you do not share your opinions. This is because you do not want to force an opinion on a student of yours; some ways you can go about this is by offering multiple viewpoints or sides of a situation, helping them look into and research both sides if they are interested, or just letting them sit down and talk to you about their view. You do not need to give your opinion for a child to feel like they have been heard, which I think is important to note because it shows that not all children need a lot from you to feel like they have been helped and to feel better about what may be going on in their life. Just putting in the effort and showing that, not only are you willing to help, but you want to help, is enough for a child to feel comfortable and better about themselves and a possible situation.

You are more than an educator in some children’s lives; you may be their mentor, role model, or person they go to for guidance. If they do not receive the support they need when they are not at school, then you may need to put in the time and effort to be that for them; this can have a significant impact on their success, and seeing them grow is something that, personally, would bring me a lot of satisfaction and happiness. As an educator, I will have to do more than just teach content in the classroom; I will need to work to create relationships with my students if I want to see them succeed and be happy. It is also important that I do what is best for the class to make sure everyone feels they have the opportunity to accomplish anything that is given to them. This is definitely a key takeaway I had from discussing the EdTalk books!

One last important takeaway I received from this was that if I am approached with a situation in which I am not sure what to do or how to handle it, I should act and proceed in a way where I will make the best professional judgment and decision as I can. I have been taught that no amount of education will prepare me for everything I will deal with in a classroom; this includes situations I may encounter with my students. When I am faced with something I have not planned for, the best thing I can do, and what is expected of me, is to make the best professional judgment and decision that I can. It is also important to know that I can, and should not be afraid to, go to others for help to guide me in the right direction. I think the best way to learn is to experience something and ask for help and guidance; this allows me to see how others would react, and see how I would react, and use this to help me make decisions on how I should act in the future if it were to happen again.

Overall, I enjoyed the EdTalk book projects very much, and I am glad that I got to hear everyone’s insights as well. I learned a lot from the process of discussing, and I think that it will help me greatly in the future, whether it is in the classroom or not.