Field Blog: Summative

Overall, I really enjoyed my time at HB. I was thankful to get to know the teachers and I learned a lot. I was able to see a lot of good qualities in each teacher I observed including many of the ones we discussed in class. Many of them were passionate about the subject they were teaching. I could tell that they wanted to be there and cared about their students. I remember as I was leaving one day I overheard a conversation one girl was having with her teacher about how her grandfather had passed away. He was more concerned about how she was then he was about her making up the material she missed. He was very flexible with her catching up on all her work. This to me showed one of the best qualities in teachers and that is how its important to care for them and not always be so worried about the school work all the time. My time at HB also showed me that teaching can come with many unexpected situations and that I will need to be prepared for anything. I also learned that I am going to have to figure out which way I want to teach my students. I will have to see what works best for them and what way they benefit most from. I also learned that I will need to spend more time than I originally thought planning lessons and organizing things for class. At HB I was able to see how every teacher is different, but can still be a great teacher. I was able to observe many different teachers and their different styles of teaching. I was also able to see different ways to engage students in the learning. I definitely feel that my time at HB allowed me to confirm that I want to get my teaching license in AYA and teach math. I am so glad I was able to spend the time I did at HB and thankful for all that I was able to learn from my observations while I was there. 

Field Blog: Week 5

During my last visit to HB I sat in a Pre-Calculus class. The first part of class they took notes. The teacher used the smart board and for certain parts of the lesson some girls went up to the board and did problems on it. Then they went over a test from the day before. They could ask the teacher about certain problems they had issues with on the test. After they went over the test they also went over their homework from the night before. The teacher had a few girls write the solutions to the problems on the board and then they went over them as a class. I really liked how the teacher allowed the girls to do have so much interaction as opposed to just sitting at their tables and writing down the material. I think that them going up to the board really helps in learning the new topics. This class was again a smaller class with only about 10 people. I think because it was smaller they were able to spend more time individually with the teacher and he was able to help them with what they were struggling with learning personally. Him being able to help them like this I think is good and shows the benefits of having small classes. Had the class been large, I feel that it would be difficult for him to go around and help each student with what they were struggling on with the lesson. The second class I sat in was a Freshman Algebra class. The teacher was Mrs. Walsh and I had sat in on one of her classes before. I really liked her and the students seemed to as well. The entire time she was very calm. One interesting thing about this particular class was that they had interactive workbooks that came with the text books. They took their notes in these work books and did their homework in them. I had never seen something like this so I found it very interesting. I thought that it was a good idea and helped them keep all their math material together. When they were doing their homework it probably was convenient to be able to flip back quickly to their notes if they got stuck on a problem or needed to be reminded of the lesson. Their homework for that night was to make flashcards with the equations they needed to know on them. I liked that their assigned homework was to make flashcards because often times they can be very helpful in learning. I liked this because they were forced to make them at the beginning of the chapter and then when they went to study for their test they would have already made them. Them making flashcards is also a convenient way for them to study quickly if they only have 10-15 minutes, they would still be able to run through them. 

Field Blog: Week 4

During my fourth visit to HB the first class I sat in was an Algebra 2 class. They had a quiz that ended up taking about half the period and the other time in class was spent on learning the new lesson. The teacher gave them the choice at the beginning of class if they wanted to take the quiz first or learn the new lesson first. They ended up taking the quiz at the end of class. During the first half of class while they were learning new material, the smart board that they normally use for lectures stopped working. The teacher quickly switched the using the white board to teach. When he didn’t get flustered at the smart board not working, I was impressed. I saw that teaching does not always go as planned, and that teachers need to be prepared for the unexpected. I am going to need to be prepared to quickly react to problems I didn’t expect to happen in the classroom. At the end of class he told the class that their homework was 3.6 A and B. He had given them a chapter syllabus with all the homework problems they needed to do listed. They didn't have to worry about writing down every problem they had to do because the teacher was organized and prepared. This made me think back to when I was in high school and how I always preferred the teachers that were organized. I always was more inclined to work harder in classes where it was evident that the teacher was working hard as well. If the teacher was organized and it was clear, I knew they were putting in effort to my education and that therefore it would be worth it for me to put in effort as well. The second class I observed was Calculus. They were given a note sheet to follow along with and fill out as the teacher lectured. I know that some people think it's better for students to completely take their own notes but the students seemed to really enjoy having the notes sheets and even said they preferred it to other classes and ways of taking notes. Having the notes sheets I noticed helped them stay on topic. The students could follow along with the material and I really think that it helped them learn it better. Seeing how the teachers taught differently showed me that I am going to have to choose how exactly I think my students will be able to learn the best based on how I present the material. 

Field Blog: Week 3

During my third visit, the first class I observed was a Calculus class. I was glad to be able to observe this class because I am in calculus right now so it was fun to know what they were learning. I was even able to help the girls with a worksheet they were working on in class. They were working on related rate problems which is one topic that I really enjoy in calculus. Knowing how excited I got to simply help them with a few problems on a worksheet, confirmed that I wanted to teach math. The second half of the class period, they were reviewing for their test the next day. They could work on practice problems independently or in groups, they could also ask the teacher questions they had. They were allowed to use a 3x5 notecard on the test the next day with equations and whatever they wanted on it to help them on the test. I liked this in high school when I had harder test in more difficult classes so I really liked that this teacher acknowledged that this was a more difficult class and that sometimes a notecard was necessary for the girls to use on the test. The second class I observed that day was again the Statistics/Pre-Calculus course. They were learning trig identities, another topic that I find very interesting. The teacher had them do problems and then some could come up and write them on the board. They then went over the problems as a class so those who didn’t know how to do them originally would know how to do them. I have always enjoyed when the teacher allowed us to write on the board and do other interactive things to help keep the learning environment energized as opposed to just sitting and taking notes at a desk. This visit has probably been my favorite so far because I realized that being excited about the material I plan on teaching, the better a teacher I will be able to be. 

Field Blog: Week 2

For my second visit to HB I sat in the Statistics/Pre-Calculus class for the second time. They were doing transformations of graphs, one of my favorite lessons in math. The teacher had a really interesting activity where the girls had to transform a standard graph to one that matched the curve of a water fountain. They took turns going up to the smart board and doing this with a graphing program through the smart board. They seemed to really enjoy it and  I thought this was a good way to visually teach the lesson and use technology in the classroom. I found this  After they did this as an intro to the lesson they worked with notes sheets that were provided by the teacher. I remembered from my high school experience that I did better in classes that had note sheets provided by the teacher that we filled out as class progressed because it clarified what we needed to know. The teacher had a copy to give to me which I found very helpful because I was able to see how he went about teaching the lesson. The next class I went to was an Algebra 2 Honors class. This teacher taught using the Smart Board and what looked to be a PowerPoint presentation. I could only begin to imagine the planning for each lesson he had to do for each class. One observation I had was that all the students had the TI-Nspire calculator. I thought it was good that they all had the same one as the teacher so there was no confusion when they had to do certain parts of the problems on their calculators. This teacher taught much differently than the one in the previous class. This teachers way of teaching included more discussion amongst the class and rather than just writing the problem down and solving it, he asked the class how each problem should be solved. I thought this was really good because the girls weren't just writing what he was saying, but they were talking about it. I think learning through discussion is one of the best ways to learn so I liked that the teacher was able to do that, especially with math, which can often times be difficult. 

Field Blog: Week 1

The first class I observed was a Statistics/Pre-Calculus class. I noticed that the class was particularly small and only had about 10 girls in it. Because it was my first class at HB I just assumed that maybe this one class was that small. The particular classroom this class met in was set up differently than how many people would view the typical high school classroom. It had about six tables that were hexagon shaped as opposed to just rows of desks. I really liked that the classroom was set up this way. The students were able to easily work together in groups on assignments and work on the problems together rather than struggling to complete them independently. I noticed that the classroom had a smart board and that it was used for the entire class. The teacher had prepared the notes presentation to work with the smart board. To me this showed that he was organized and prepared for class, a quality that I think is important in order to make a teacher the best they can be. The second class that I went to was an Algebra 2 class. It had 17 student's which was larger than the previous but it was still on the smaller end of class sizes. It was in a different room with a different teacher. I noticed that this room was set up with the desks in row but they were pushed together so the students were sitting with each other and not alone. I noticed that this class was very different than the previous. The girls tended to get off topic easily but I saw that the teacher was patient and quickly brought their focus back to the material. I noticed that this teacher also used the smart board to teach the lesson. He also had an agenda/outline for the students so they knew the homework ahead of time and when the quizzes and test would be. This to me was very impressive. As I sat in the class I realized how much planning must go into each lesson. Not only does the teacher need to be prepared to teach the material, but they also need to be prepared to explain it in many different ways because each student learns differently. 

Field Blog: First Impression at Hathaway Brown

When I was first placed at Hathaway Brown for my independent observations I was very excited. Because I attended a private all girls high school, I knew it would have many similarities and that it would remind me of home. I was looking forward to my observations very much and went into them with an open mind. When I first arrived at HB I was surprised by how large the building was. Their entire property was very nice and as soon as I walked through the door I felt welcome, something that I think is an important quality of schools. One thing I noticed about the girls in the Upper School was that they did not wear uniforms, something I found very interesting for a private school. For my observations I was going to be working with the head of the math department, Michael Buescher. During the weeks that I spent at HB, I observed some of his classes, but was also able to observe many other teachers in the math department and many different classes within the department. Being able to observe many different teachers and view many different teaching styles was very helpful and I was able to learn a lot from it. 

Field Blog: Gearity Elementary School

While I am pretty set on being a high school teacher, I was looking forward to our visit to Gearity. However I was a little disappointed in the visit we had. The school seemed somewhat disorganized and unprepared for our visit. I also was placed in the music room which did not have a class the majority of the time we were at the school. I was hoping that I would at least be placed in a main classroom so I could get a better feel for teaching elementary school. I ended up going into one of the main classrooms to observe and get an idea of what it would be like to teach elementary. I noticed that many of the classrooms had additional classroom aids as opposed to just the main teacher. While I did enjoy our visit, I still think I would enjoy teaching high school more. 

Blog 10: Summary

Throughout this entire course so far and all my blogposts I feel that I learned a lot about the field of education and about my own beliefs as a future teacher. BP2 showed me that I think beliefs are important and play a large role in who we are. It also revealed that I think that having a strong belief system and being aware of it can have many benefits but can also cause issues in the classroom. BP3 showed me that everyone judges people unconsciously and that we interpret different things about people differently. It also showed me that it can be good to set our beliefs aside sometimes and have an unbiased opinion of those we come in contact with. BP5 showed me the importance of education of LGBT in schools and that it is a large topic of discussion in the field of education right now. The Mayfield Heights Middle School trip sparked my interest more in teaching middle school. Going into the trip I was very opposed to teaching middle school but after the trip I saw it as a new potential. Blog Post It was where I saw my own philosophy of education the most. I realized that I am a believer in a mixture of both liberal and radical approach to education. BP8 stressed the importance of building bridges not only from class to class but in my opinion from what students are learning in class and connecting it to the real world and showing them how they are going to use certain things they are learning in school in the real world. Our visit to shaker heights high school I really enjoyed. Being able to sit in math classes and see what it could be like to be a high school math teacher was very exciting. Blog 9 was our project on the ideal school. Because I attended an all girls private high school that I very much enjoyed I saw many elements of my high school in the school I created with my group. My favorite part about this course was individual observations. At Hathaway Brown I was able to observe the majority of the classes offered and the different teachers in the math department at the school. I was able to compare how different teachers taught and how the students reacted to their different teaching styles. It made me very excited for the future and definitely confirmed my desire to teach high school math. 

Blog 9

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1y2pTmYe_aasTSmFvS5j5bkesubv5xKCEAf-7W5S-YoY/edit?usp=sharing

Field Blog 2: Shaker Heights High School

Because I attended an all girls catholic high school I wasn’t sure what to expect going into the Shaker Heights High School visit. I was excited to be going into a high school to observe math classes. Because the past few weeks we have been talking about different qualities that can help to make a teacher great, I decided to look at the teachers I observed and see which of these qualities they possessed. The first class I went into was an advanced class and I really enjoyed the teacher. She was enthusiastic and seemed to care about her students. I also noticed that she was very patient with the students and class as a whole. I was most impressed with her organization. She had note sheets for the students that they filled out during the lesson and it seemed to really help them make sure they got the information they needed. The next teacher I observed also impressed me. He was a younger teacher who seemed to really care about his students. It seemed like he really wanted them to succeed. At times the class got a little chatty but he managed to stay patient and quickly get them back on topic. The way he taught was more discussion based. Instead of just lecturing he would ask the class questions about the problem they were doing. The school as a whole was very diverse and the teachers/staff that I talked to were all very welcoming. Overall I really enjoyed our visit to Shaker and it makes me excited to keep observing teachers.

Blog 8 Building Bridges

Over the past few weeks we have discussed what it means to be a great teacher and what qualities some of the best teachers have. The most significant thing I have learned from this is that there isn't one specific thing teachers can do to be great. It is a combination of things that make teachers great. Some of these include being enthusiastic and passionate about your job, caring for your students, self-criticism, patience, learning from experience, and building bridges. More specifically building bridges is an important part to connect with students. While many students may find learning certain topics to be useless, it is important to show them how they can use what they are learning in the real world.  In chapter four, Ayers discusses the topic of building bridges in the classroom. Bridging what students are learning during a lesson to how it can benefit them can be hard. Ayers highlights that an important part of building bridges is balance and team work. He  also points out that it is important to also make learning fun for students.

As a math major and someone who wants to teach high school math I am aware of the fact that many students wont use much math other than basic math that they learned in the earlier years of their education. Therefore I would want to teach something that the majority of students could use in real life but also included math. Something that I think all students can benefit from, especially high school students getting ready for college, is budgeting. Using the bridge building concept that Ayers discusses, I would show students how a basic budgeting sheet can benefit them. Not only would they be able to see that budgeting can help them keep track of their money, they would also see how it could help them save money. Students would be using the math they are learning in class as a tool to help them with financial planning.

While bridge building is important to keep students engaged there are also many other aspects in planning. (1) In order for the teaching to be beneficial I would need to make sure that I am enthusiastic about the lesson (DiGiulio). If I wasn’t excited about the lesson, how could my students be excited to learn? (2) Ayers suggests that finding allies is important. Before the lesson, it could be a good idea to perhaps talk to other teachers or people to get ideas from them about budgeting and teaching about it. (3) An important idea discussed by Freire is that while teachers are teaching their students, they also need to be learning from them as well. I think that it is important that "both are simultaneously teachers and students" (104). (4) Ohanian suggests that "seeking new understanding" (124) is important and that we need to be aware of the constant changes that are happening in the classroom and in education. Doing research of my topic before teaching it is important because things are always changing and what I once could have thought was true could now be different.

Blog PostIt

When reading the Paulo Freire reading I had lots of thoughts. He had lots of things to say and I found his ideas very interesting. The part that stood out to me most was when he said that there needs to be a "solution of the teacher student contradiction" and that the solution doesn’t come from the banking idea of education. I placed a post it note at this point in the reading because I partially disagree with Freire. I think both the banking approach and problem posing approach to education have their advantages and disadvantages. After reading this chapter of his book, I personally believe that a combination of both methods is the best way to approach teaching. When he said that he thought the solution to that problem couldn’t be found in the banking idea, I thought that it was very closed minded. While yes the banking idea may seem harsh and oppressive, it has some positive aspects of it. I found him shutting down the banking approach completely to be very interesting. I think I feel this way because the majority of my high school career was spent in an environment that included both banking and problem posing aspects of learning. The classrooms I spent time in and enjoyed most included a discussion based lecture. The discussion component was more of a problem posing idea and the lecture component was banking. Another though that crossed my mind when reading this was that I think in order to find the best way to teach to a class and to certain students, the teachers need to ask the students how they learn best. The students also need to be straightforward with teachers if the way they are teaching isn't beneficial to them. While there is not one solution to the best  teaching method, I think there are a lot of ways those in the field of education can improve it.

Blog 5

The Rofes reading was very interesting and his thoughts on liberal and radical ways of addressing homophobia and those who were LGBT were very different. When Rofes described his childhood he said it was neither good nor bad. (Rofes 4). He also said "despite the constrictions place on children…children are always to a grater or lesser extent active agents in participating in the production of their own childhoods and adolescences" (Rofes 5). He followed this up by saying that while many of us don’t ask for the circumstances which we live in, many of us do not fully accept them (Rofes 5). I agree with him that we play a role in "shaping our own consciousness" (Rofes 5), however he puts it in a much harsher way. To me Rofes seems very unsympathetic and act as if life sucks but we just need to deal with it. While yes this is true, I don’t think he goes about presenting it in a beneficial way. He also mentions that while many people say those who are gay are born gay, he himself doesn’t belief that and he personally chose to be gay and to like males. In the schools that I have visited and attended growing up, LGBT was a topic addressed in many different ways. At an elementary level, it wasn’t even a topic of discussion. At the middle school I attended it was more evident and some people were open to the idea of there being gay students. Middle school kids also made fun of those who were gay. The high school I attended took what I consider to be a very liberal approach. We had openly gay students, staff, and teachers. It was a topic that was talked about a lot and everyone was very accepting of LGBT people. Those who weren't accepting of it, I thought shared their beliefs and why they believed them in a very respectful way. In the future I hope that more schools and students can be accepting of LGBT and try to be less homophobic. While we are all entitled to our own opinions, LGBT is a very common topic throughout schools now and I think it is best to be open minded rather than closed minded when the topic comes up.

Field Post 1: Mayfield Middle School

Going into the Mayfield Middle School trip I was very hesitant because I was not interested in being a middle school teacher. I was still excited to be going into the school with the mindset of a future teacher as opposed to a student. When we first got to the school it had a good first impression. I enjoyed talking to the administrators and learning more about what they do. They all seemed very passionate about their jobs and it sparked an interest of potentially looking into being an administrator in the future after teaching for a period of time. The first classroom I went into was a 7th grade social studies class. It was a standard classroom with desks and the walls were decorated. The thing I took away from this class room was that they didn't seem to be having much fun. They were learning and taking notes, but they seemed uninterested. The next room I went into was also a 7th grade social studies class, but it was very different from the first. This one was much louder and very out of control in my opinion. The last classroom I went into was an advanced 7th grade math class. This one seemed to be a great combination of fun, but also productive. The students were learning but didn't seem bored or uninterested. At the end of the visit I think my opinion of middle school teaching changed. Before the visit I didn't want to teach middle school at all, however now I am definitely more open to it. Overall the visit was good and I enjoyed it very much. 

Blog 4: Students Communities and Backgrounds

When Lisa Delpit said  “[Teachers] should recognize that the linguistic form a student brings to school is intimately connected with loved one’s community, and personal identity. To suggest that this form is “wrong” or, even worse, ignorant, is to suggest that something is wrong with the student and his or her family” (p.33) I started to think about how as a future teacher I would respond to students from different backgrounds, family and home life. At my high school a large part of our education included treating everyone one the same and with respect. Through during service and seeing and meeting people from different communities allowed me to act on this idea. While now I like to think that I treat everyone the same, I do still believe that it can be hard at times. Kids form different backgrounds allow the possibility to bring different qualities to the classroom. As a future teacher I want to be able to see a student, get to know them, and then allow their best qualities to be reflected in my classroom. Accepting someone for who they are also lets them know that you care about them, thus strengthening your relationship with them. While differences between students and their community and personal identity will be noticeable, I agree with Delpit when she says that we shouldn't suggest that their way is wrong or ignorant. I also think that it is important to be aware of the differences students have because of their background. Many kids may talk differently, act differently, and learn differently but I think that as a soon to be teacher it is important to set our beliefs aside and do our best to teach them what they need to know for their future. 

Blog 3: People Watching

After going to Chipotle to observe people I was surprised with what I saw and interpreted based on my beliefs. My t-chart differed in many ways from the description side to interpretation side. As someone walked through the door I would immediately write down what they were wearing, their hair color, and other aspects of their physical appearance. I noticed my self focusing a lot on their clothing which then led me to start making interpretations. My interpretations included their jobs, if they had kids, sometimes what typeof job they had, how they spent their free time,  etc. While I wasn't able to get every detail about every person who walked in, I wrote down details about the people who stood out to me the most. One man came in wearing business clothes, nice dress shoes and pants, a button down shirt, and a tie. He had dark hair and I guessed that he was in his mid 30’s. From his appearance I interpreted that he was some type of business man, maybe in sales. I noticed he had a wedding wring on so I thought maybe he had just gotten married or it could have been a few years ago. I wondered if he had kids and then noticed myself practically writing this mans life story just from what I saw and without even knowing him. Then a woman came in wearing athletic clothes. I thought maybe she could have just come from the gym, or maybe she worked at a gym. Like the previous man I started to give this woman a life. She was older, married, she had kids but they had already gone to college and moved out of the house. What I noticed about myself was that I was writing stories for everyone who walked in. Their appearance set the foundation for the type of life that I thought they would have. I learned about myself that through these stories I hoped that these people were happy with their lives, jobs, kids and families. My beliefs were a factor in how I interpreted people but I think it was in a more positive way than a negative way which pleasantly surprised me. I have always enjoyed people watching but this blog made me think about it in a different way and see how my beliefs affected my interpretations.

Post 2: Lisa Delpit Quote Response

Having a belief system is important to essential life. It allows us to form our own opinions and thoughts. Peoples beliefs are often affected by their past experiences, their family, where they are from, and much more. How one is effected by all these things is different for everyone, but they still contribute to shaping us into the person we are. When Lisa Delpit says “We do not really see with our eyes or hear through our ears, but through our beliefs.” (Curtis and Carter, 2000, p. 9) she implies that our beliefs play a large roll in how we interpret certain situations. While everyone may physically see the same things and hear the same things, each person has their own perspective of the situation. These interpretations are often formulated through our beliefs. Like discussed in class, race, ethnicity, financial status, gender and much more will vary amongst students. Similar to how differences will vary throughout each class room, the teachers response to the differences will vary from room to room. Some teachers may treat each student differently because of their differences compared to other students, others may see past these differences and treat all their students equally. Some teachers may think that they are being fair to everyone, but really aren’t without even knowing it. Peoples beliefs often affect their reaction to situations like this. If a teacher believes in equality for all he or she will most likely react differently than someone who struggles to see everyone as equal. Like mentioned by Curtis and Carter in “The Art of Awareness” being aware of the fact that everyone perceives things differently is important. Curtis and Carter also say that being knowledgeable of how our notions  impact a situation can help us see past our bias interpretations. It is important to have beliefs but not let them impact how we see a person. 

Post 1: Class Survey

1. Preferred name: Caroline

2. Hometown: Troy, Michigan 

3. Would like to teach high school math preferably Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Pre-Calculus, and Trigonometry. 

4. During my high school career I played golf all four years, but chose not to continue on with it in college. Golf played a major role in my life during high school and it is still one of the most important things in my life that I enjoy. I spent time in high school doing service projects as well as  leading and participating in various clubs. This semester I plan on getting involved in CSSA, and joining a sorority. I also plan to work somewhere on campus during the school year. 

5. A major belief that I have is the thought that it is best to surround yourself with positive people. The linked article below explains multiple reasons as to why surrounding oneself with positive people is a good thing. I believe that the better people there are in your life the better your life will not only be, but the happier with your life you will be. Everyone has certain people in their life that always leave a positive impact. As I got older I was able to realize that the more people like this in my life, the happier I was. I also noticed that I myself started to become a better person a little at a time. I think that it is important to have people in your life that accept your differences, support your decisions, and want what is best for you. A perfect example of this would be family and friends that someone considers close enough to be family. By surrounding yourself with good company, you can make it through anything.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leon-logothetis/kkeeping-good-company-why-you-should-surround-yourself-with-good-people_b_6816468.html
6. I think to be comfortable to take positive risks in a college classroom, trust is needed throughout the entire class. The students have to trust their peers and their teacher and the teacher has to trust his or her students. I also think that everyone should be open minded, patient and not quick to judge those in their class so that each student can get the most out of his or her time in the classroom.
7. A formative experience that I had as a student was receiving a teacher that today serves as the person I would like to be most like when I am a teacher. Junior year I was able to have the teacher that confirmed my decision to want to be a teacher. He not only taught the material well, but he also cared for each and everyone of his students. He was a good person and reflected his values and morals which left an impact on every student he had. Because of his care, big heart, teaching ability, and values, throughout an entire year I was able to see the type of teacher I wanted to be.
8.  In education I think there are many issues. Right now technology plays a large roll in the world of education yet its usefulness hasn't quite been discovered. While technology in the classroom has many benefits it also has many disadvantages. I think that more research and development spent on this topic could allow the best way to use technology in the classroom to be discovered. I also have concerns with what is being taught. I think it needs to be thought about what kids really need to know for the future. Yes, math, science, english, history are all important, but what about how to pay bills, how to apply for a student loan, or the process of buying a house. While many of these things can be taught by parents, some students don't have the best parenting system, and schools should be teaching it more than they currently are.
9. Questions for the class/teacher: What was your reasoning for entering the field of education?