so sometimes I really wonder why I am at Penn now. not in a bad way, it's just that sometimes I kinda regret not having gotten teaching experience prior to coming to Penn. I was actually talking about this with my dad yesterday (i know: me, talk to my father?! but sometimes things change, ya know) and i kinda realized that sometimes i find it hard to focus on the things I'm learning in my courses because I don't have, or haven't had, a real context through which I can appropriately examine and apply the stuff I learn. for all of you out there in blog land that are considering coming to Penn, you may want to think about whether or not you want professional experience, or how much profesional experience you want, prior to coming to GSE. for me, it's a double-edged sword. going straight from undergrad to grad was a way for me to build my professional confidence before I entered the education work-world, since I presumably would have more knowledge and theory to put into my practice. now i see that that future-comfort is sometimes coming at the expense of me getting the most out of my classes...
so, some good news: i'm really excited about my chances of getting this summer job i want. it's with Breakthrough Collaborative, which is an awesome educational organization for adolescents. since i've been working with them for the past two summers, i'm eligible to be a Fellow this summer. having gone through two interviews thus far and just outright asking about my chances, my odds are really good for me getting this. they basically told me that with my experience with the program, skills, teaching experiences in general, and resume (thank you Penn for being a great name to have on a resume!), all the sites want me! but i wont get official word back until march 1st...and i have another interview sometime next week. don't worry guys, ill keep ya posted!
had a talk with my advisor today, too. that was odd. i had some conflicts, if you will, in her class last semester, and this was my first one-on-one with her since then. it was really great though. we actually got to discuss what the conflict was with me last semester, how it could be improved, and my overall experience at GSE thus far. she's really interested in me as a person, and making sure that i am both socially and academically comfortable at GSE. one of the big tenets of our discussion was my experience as an African American at GSE. just keeping it real, i'm not used to being a minority (i went to Spelman College, and HBCU, and I grew up in North Philly, which as majority African American), and it was a big culture shock and a sort of sense of loneliness being at GSE. my Psychology of African Americans course (EDUC 522 for anyone thats interested) has helped me to flush through these issues (not to mention that there are more African Americans in this course than ive seen in any of my other classes). but yeah, its an issue, and its real. but im working through it and learning a whole lot about myself and other people, so i have no choice but to be appreciative and opportunistic while im here...
also, to you out there in blog land, show me some love! send me a comment or email me or just let me know something!
peace!