Reflective Discourse

Mary Vogt
December 14, 2015
The past two years at University of New England have confirmed the fact that I am truly
a lifelong learner. As a child, I loved reading and everything having to do with school. I would
play school with my friends using my standing chalkboard that I received for Christmas one
year. However, somewhere along the way I put away my thoughts of becoming a teacher to
enter the world of business. Throughout those years, I continued to love learning about
everything, but thought that it was too late for a career change. It wasnt until after I had
children that I summoned up the courage to go to work in their school and Ive never looked
back. As a paraeducator, I sat near my students in the classroom and learned from their teachers
about what it meant to be an educator; the awesome responsibility that we have to educate our
future citizens. I havent stopped learning and enjoy passing this love on to my students each
day.
My work though UNE has provided me with the most up-to-date information on key
areas of my practice. As a special educator, I still have the opportunity to observe other teachers
and collaborate to improve learning outcomes for my students. In many of these classes
motivation and classroom management go hand-in-hand. As teachers, we enter classroom each
day with lesson plans that sometimes do not go as we had envisioned. Students may not be
motivated to learn. Through courses at UNE, I have learned that a lack of motivation may not be
behaviorally based. There are numerous motivational theories that should be examined to
determine student needs and how best to accommodate those needs based on theory (Anderman
& Anderman, 2014).

A lack of student engagement may also exist due to a lack of classroom management
skills by the teacher. Communication of expectations on the first day of school and the adoption
of the Morning Meeting Model are two approaches that I have observed to be successful in
classrooms where students are excited about learning (Kriete, 2002). Both methods place the
responsibility of creating a productive learning environment on the classroom community, not
just on the teacher. It is this message of cooperation and collaboration in the classroom that has
run through my learning experience at UNE and important knowledge and life skills to impart to
my students.
My experience at UNE has been memorable. The courses that I have participated in have
given me the professional confidence to become more active in my school community. The
knowledge that I have gained has allowed me to improve instruction for my students through the
integration of technology and engaging methods of instruction. My students are the direct
beneficiaries of my success in the program as I continue to encourage them to walk the path of
the lifelong learner.

References
Anderman, E. & Anderman, L. (2014). Classroom motivation. Boston: Pearson Publishing.
Kriete, R. (2002). The morning meeting book. Greenfield, MA: New England Foundation for
Children. pp. 7-31