My MEL experiences

• Student /Teacher relationships: The best example I have for a great student and teacher relationship is from my 7th & 8th great english teacher, Ms. Henry. She was great in trying to get to know all of her students individually and making her room a comfort zone. I can not remember a time when she was not positive with any student. She understood the drama that is middle school and established a great life line for students to talk to her when they were feeling down or confused. Another great trait of hers was having a sense of humor and making all of our projects FUN! She was always starting new clubs and getting people involved with each other that may not have done so on their own.
• Helping Students Succeed: The figure states that having high expectations will help students succeed and i could not agree more. My high school history teacher Mrs. Luce always pushed us and set the standards high. This was not because she thought that we would all fail but she wanted us to work hard, learn and feel good about ourselves when all is said and done. Another great example is from my Algebra 2 teacher Mr. Langivine was always trying to keep my spirits up with math. I am not a great math student, and have a hard time learning by coping notes so he would meet with me one-on-one. I would get discouraged but he would constantly tell me that having a good attitude can only help my and my learning.
• Hands-On: Doing hands-on activities is a great way for many students to learn as I read in the article, it is more engaging and exciting for students. I had a lot of opportunities for hands on learning when I was in high school. This occurred a lot in my chemistry class with Ms. Merril (LOL). Due to the nature of the subject it is important to have many activities so that we can see with our own eyes how science is working. What she did above and beyond was having us changing lab partners for each activity and having extra credit things to do at home to make students understand even more!
• Learning Styles: This was something that we covered in great detail in Dr. Grace's class today. This is such a strong aspect that needs to be known in all classrooms but the sad part is that it was not practiced much in my high school. Just giving out standardized tests over and over again shows nothing and students gain almost nothing. This happened a lot in my middle school years. I am not a strong test taker but I know from my best friend that this was an awful approach to education. She is extremely smart but when it comes to tests she becomes fearful. Her mind goes blank and she forgets what she had studied the night before!
• Connections: This is very important! I believe that if teachers can connect what they are teaching to something in their lives that has happened it is going to take away the excuse "when will I ever use this in my life" that seems to come from many students (including myself!) Fortunately I just had an example of great connections during Dr. Grace's class. She is able to recall times in her career and schooling that puts a real life situation to everything that we are learning.