WebLog 1: Class Survey

Personal Information:
1. Kate M. Lawson, Westerville, OH, klawson09@jcu.edu
2. Kate
3. k-12 Spanish (B.A. Spanish, B.A. Economics, John  Carroll University
4. I'm the oldest of four siblings, I practice yoga, I played tennis for JCU as an undergrad, and I love reading and learning about cultures and countries of the world.

Learning Styles:
5.  in order for me to feel comfortable in taking intellectual and creative risks in the classroom, I need to have a good relationship with the professor, based on mutual respect and in which lines of communication are open. The professor supports me as a learning student, without judgement of me or my views as they are in the present. Ideally, I'd like to have mutual respect with my classmates and feel that the classroom environment is one that is open to new ideas and not limited to the perspectives that each person brought in originally.
6. I see myself as a responsible student who values the opportunities to particpate in class discussion and who diligently works to comprehend the material to the best of my ability and prove such learning by earning the best grades of which I am capable.  In situations when I do not understand the material, I tend to seek out the professor to help me reach full comprehension, rather than fellow students, because I don't like to be missing anything I should know.  I do, however, see the value of conferring with fellow students to encounter more varied opinions and perspectives on various subject matter. 
7. I have a history of subjecting myself to the torture of attaining academic perfection, and this is a path that I do not want to repeat as a graduate student. I am working to strike the balance between doing my best work under realistic and healthy circumstances. 

Education Past and Present:
8. I was always a shy student and it took me many, many years to be brave enough to ask a question in front of the class, because I was so worried that I would seem stupid, to the teacher or the other students. It wasn't until I was in an advanced Science course in 9th grade that the teacher created an environment in which I truly felt I could admit that I didn't understand the concept at all, and that all questions were valid. I remember tentatively raising my hand, probably barely whispering the question to the teacher, and once she heard me, she asked the class who else had the same question, and why no one had spoken up. At this point she was so excited that she was really challenging us and happy that someone had provided her with the feedback that the way in which she had presented the material had eluded the class, and she was glad to teach it to us another way. At the end of class that day, I felt like I truly understood the material, and how complex of a scientific principle it was. I felt privileged to understand such important and complex material, and I was proud that I had been brave enough to ask a question. Though it still took many more years to completely get over the fear of possible judegement, I think that day was a crucial turning point for me in my educational journey.
9. Some issues concerning the field of education today are the lack of equal opportunities for all students regardless of race, ethnicity, culture, socio-economic status; the structure  of funding for public education; the exponential rise of the costs of private education; and the often single-minded focus of schools on math and science in pursuit of higher/passing standardized test grades.
10. We need to DO a lot of engaging discussion in the classroom; we need to STUDY facts, data and information, so that our discussions can actually be relevant, productive and complete; we need to BE respectful of each other's opinions, we need to challenge each other and the texts we read and we need to communicate effectively with each other, and we need to AVOID  thinking that there is only one or two possible perspectives, avoid getting caught up or trapped in our own limited experiences, avoid jumping to conclusions, and avoid accepting the problems as they are with no solutions.

11. Where are you from? Where does your family live? What are some life goals you'd like to accomplish?