# data[].attributes.body
I loved that Eric came to class and I think that it was incredibly beneficial for us to be able to talk to him and ask him any questions we may have had. The classes and the services that he offers for his students is something that I think that should be all over the country for our students. I liked that he was able to tell us both all of the positives and benefits of teaching classes like this as well as the setbacks and challenges that he faced. Even if we will not be teaching a class like this, I am glad that Eric was real with us about what challenges we can expect. Even though I myself may not end up being a teacher that teaches the classes that Eric does, I want to incorporate the exact same type of subjects that are otherwise known as "taboo" into my class right away. Especially if I am in a school like Eric's school that is primarily white, I was enlightened even more than I was before how important it is to go into schools with demographics like this and challenge what has always been known. I especially was happy that Eric enjoyed my question about the rules of ethics and how often he talks about these with his students. Even in a regular English class a code of ethics such as these would be something beneficial and important to go over, just so we know what responsibilities of journalists are.

# data[].attributes.body
I thought bringing Eric into the class was a great idea and am happy that it was scheduled for his semester. His presentation was great, and what I personally enjoyed was his ability to be honest about the group of students he worked with and the challenges that came specifically from and with his group. I appreciated him sharing that during political topics whether in discussion and in writing that he feels comfortable challenging his students to assess their arguments. He challenges them, not from the stance of disagreeing but more so in asking if what they reported are from legitimate sources and/or If it could be false information passed on. I also left his presentation open to exploring other content areas which might come up in possible job interviews. I posed this question to everyone and am still open to hearing feedback, but how do we make sure we are taking on content areas/classroom positions that we didn’t initially sign up for and remaining passionate? I did however enjoy the lesson of being available and open to teaching different electives, as I believe it will expand me as an educator and as a person. Who doesn’t want to be multifaceted in their career?

# data[].attributes.body
I wasn't actually in class for the presentation because I was extremely sick last week. However, I went through and read the presentation. I think it's interesting that there are no taboo topics in his journalism class. I think this really ties together with allowing the students to feel like they are in control of what they are writing. Like Eric said, this allows for more genuine writing. I think this is important to incorporate into our ELA classrooms; students are going to produce more genuine writing when they feel like they aren't restricted in what htey can write and are able to write about things that are maybe a bit more controversial, so long as they understand their tone and who their audience is.

# data[].attributes.body
One takeaway that I had from Eric's presentation was how involved he is in the school and how much he cared about his students. Teaching multiple electives and being involved in extracurricular activities are great ways to be involved and I hope to model my teaching career in a similar way. I am a huge fan of public speaking, and would love to teach a speech class. I am also a big sports fan and plan on helping to coach at least one sports team for the school that I will work for. With this, I hope to surround myself with the students more and hopefully make more of an impact on their lives in a positive manner.

# data[].attributes.body
Eric was a great speaker and I felt really connected to the points he made throughout his presentation to our class. My favorite takeaway from his presentation would have to be his openness to new experiences. Before his talk, I never really spent that much time thinking about possible elective courses that we may have the chance to teach. I really liked the fact that he was open to the courses that he never thought he would teach - it got me excited for some classes that I never thought I would teach either! Definitely will look forward to a varied list of classes in my future repertoire.

# data[].attributes.body
I enjoyed Eric's talk and being able to hear about his different experiences. Something that really surprised me was that you could be asked as a teacher to instruct in a class/elective where you have no prior knowledge of the subject. This is something that really worried me because in another education class I am taking the point was made that you should know the subject you are teaching very well because the students will be able to tell if you do not understand the full picture and can only explain things at a surface level.

# data[].attributes.body
If I had to pick one takeaway from Eric's presentation it would be, teach electives. It's something I haven't actually considered because I've spent so much time focusing on the core class I'll be teaching. However, it seems like I would enjoy it a lot and there's so much to learn about teaching in general from classes that aren't on the core curriculum. Teach classes you may not think you're prepared to teach because you will learn so much about yourself, your students, and the act of teaching.

# data[].attributes.body
I appreciated Eric's honesty about his experiences with teaching in a rather rural, white, conservative community. He didn't try to sugar-coat the face that he gets push-back for trying to teach his students about other perspectives and how to think critically about issues. I found it interesting that he is no longer allowed to use the implicit bias test with his students but he made it very clear that he uses other means of teaching them the same valuable lessons that come from taking the test. I think it's important for educators to teach students about privileges and biases so they will be more culturally aware and it's comforting to know that he is able to teach that to his students in a predominantly white, rural, conservative area.

# data[].attributes.body
The main point that I gained, somewhat inadvertently, was that a liberal teacher can flourish in a conservative setting. One of the things that has been a huge change for me since coming to Ohio State is my firm stance in some political views. It has been a very challenging process to confront a lot of the stances I had coming in, and even though I have altered them for the better (and more informed), I do plan on going back home to a very conservative part of Ohio. I'm worried about a lot of pushback and about being seen as 'other' in the community. Eric put a lot of those thoughts at ease. I might be just as difficult to teach different philosophies in these schools as it was hard for me to teach in the intercity, but it will be well worth it.

# data[].attributes.body
I really enjoyed Eric's talk. One thing that I thought was really exceptional is how hands off he is with his students. He gives them the autonomy to let them write about what they want, which I think is so cool! I remember writing about really trivial things in my journalism class, and even then having to get every topic approved and my articles checked by my teacher to perfection before they were published. It made it seem way more like a second English class instead of a fun elective. I think the way Eric runs his class is way more conducive to what a high school student would want to do, and will allow for more honest and creative articles to be produced.

# data[].attributes.body
Through Eric's talk, one of his points that resonated most with me was his point to keep student friendly language present as much as possible. He pointed out that his main goal in doing this is to keep student's writing authentic. I really like this approach as a future English teacher. Though it can be easy to want our students to use technical language, for example, it is important to remind our students how important their thoughts and insights are and keep their writing authentic.

# data[].attributes.body
Unfortunately I was unable to attend class last week but I found the powerpoint very interesting! Something I never thought about that would be interesting as a journalism teacher would be, like he says, finding the balance between authenticity and diplomacy. It would go along with teaching students how to think critically about controversial topics without unintentionally swaying their opinions one way or the other. It would be especially interesting due to the conservative culture of the district.
I also like the fact that he takes time to discuss the First Amendment with his students. It's important for them to understand not only for the purposes of the class, but in their everyday life. I feel like the First Amendment is used frequently out of context, so it's important for them to be taught what it entails from someone who is educated and fairly unbiased.

# data[].attributes.body
Having Eric come in speak to the class was a great addictive and I believe that I was able to take a lot away from his conversation and the answers that he offered to the questions that we asked. A few takeaways that I gathered were: how to manage pushback about the coursework from parents and other teachers, the importance of critical literacy and how to introduce different perspectives into student's thoughts. Eric talked about the importance of teaching students to think critically about their education, surroundings and the world they live in. When I asked him about managing pushback from other teachers, his advice of taking their voices and concern into consideration, but not letting that affect your teaching was helpful to hear. Eric was good to listen to while being
informative.

# data[].attributes.body
Unfortunately I didn't get to hear Eric's talk so my full reflection is based off his PowerPoint. First of all, it is important to note that I think he includes way too much on his slides. While I'm not sure how he presented, including written information like your hobbies and favorite things to teach are much better simply said then written AND (assumably said). You know who you are, simply talk. That being said, it did make it a lot easier for me to write this post.

One point Comeras had on his "Journalism Class" slide that I liked was the idea that he often has to shift between being a teacher and advisor to his students. I think this is true for all teachers. We often have many different roles we have to play for our student's success, elective or not. Yet another thing he wrote was that he felt because his journalism class is more laid back, he believes the student's produce more authentic work. I'm curious why he wouldn't then take a more laid back approach in his other classes if the work the student's work is better. I also really enjoyed the section on critical literacy. Without it, it can be very difficult and even, as Comeras words it, "dangerous". You have to find the perfect balance between being "diplomatic yet authentic". This is actually one of my biggest concerns going into teaching. As someone who has very strong and opinionated political beliefs, I am worried that I am going to get in trouble for accidentally (or not) stating my beliefs.

# data[].attributes.body
I thoroughly enjoyed Eric's talk.  The two things that stuck out to me the most were first, how he explained he allows students to think and lead their own discussions as opposed to too much "teacher-talk" and lecturing, and secondly how he didn't just give up on teaching his students tough topics.  He explained how he received push-back from parents about assignments regarding such as implicit biases or racism, yet instead of cutting these out he changed some details and how he presented them.  I found this powerful because I think we will run into this problem a lot as future teachers: push back from administration, students, or parents, but knowing that other teachers like Eric have experienced this and are passionate about these topics enough to not fully disregard them was great to hear.

# data[].attributes.body
I thought Eric's presentation this week was very informative and eye-opening. He is working in a very conservative district and finds a way to teach his students to think for themselves and form their own opinions based on facts. Too many times I have experienced teachers pushing their own beliefs on students without letting them form their own ideas and opinions. I also appreciate the advice he gave us about starting out as a teacher. He recognized some of the pitfalls of his first year or two of teaching and actively worked to better himself. I hope to heed his advice and plan more student-lead lessons and projects to give them some choice and power in the classroom. I think it is important to allow students to have their own voice in their writing and in the classroom and from Eric's presentation, I got the gist that he does that very well.

# data[].attributes.body
I think my two favorite things about Eric's presentation were one, how he talked about becoming more student centered in his teaching, and two how he seemed to handle any push back from administration or parents in a very calm and straightforward way. I liked the way he talked about being student centered because I think as new teachers we all have these big ideas and big plans for what WE want to teach the students but we have to learn how to change our thinking to put the students first instead of our own ideas and plans. I also really liked how he responded to questions about parent, student, and administration push back on things he did in the classroom. He was very calm and basically said it was going to happen but you just have to listen and stay open minded about other people's opinions. He didn't just hold tight to his idea of what was best but he adapted his lessons to compromise even though he may not have agreed with it. I think this shows a great understanding of working with others and something we can all put into our future practice!

# data[].attributes.body
Eric's presentation was very intriguing and not quite what I expected. Usually, I find guest speakers to be fairly irrelevant or uninteresting but Eric was completely the opposite. My biggest takeaway from his presentation was the point he made about dealing with politics in journalism. "Attack the idea not the person." I have recently been thinking a lot about what I would do if a situation were to arise in my classroom where students were fighting over a political figure, and I think Eric's idea is the perfect solution. Listen only to facts that can be backed by evidence and focus on the argument not the person arguing. I will be taking this technique into my own classroom as I believe discussing pop culture and political topics with students is very important because it helps them become more well informed citizens in adulthood.

# data[].attributes.body
First, I think its funny how fast everybody posted this week, considering we didn't have to comment on the readings! ONE thing I took from Eric's lecture was the importance of separating teacher bias from the classroom. Being involved with a high school newspaper during the middle of the last election had to be extremely difficult for a lot of teachers across the country. I like how Eric has his students focus on fighting negative arguments with facts instead of relying on an ad hominem approach of attacking trump, which he teaches could turn off readers who don't agree with your point of view. It's important to understand that school newspapers are outlets for students to respectfully express their views, not for teachers to manipulate with their biases.

# data[].attributes.body
I think that I was most surprised by the fact that Eric was able to teach journalism and mythology without extensive previous knowledge and training in those subjects. I often feel like I don’t know enough about grammar and literature to be an amazing English teacher, but knowing that Eric was able to successfully learn and grow alongside his students makes me feel a bit more confident in my own abilities. Like the student who called Eric out on not knowing enough about mythology, I always expected my teachers to be masters of their subjects without exception, and I usually always assumed that my teachers were correct. I think that it is important to tell students that there is no end to learning and that teachers make mistakes too (and those are things that I probably did not want to believe as a high school student). When it comes to learning a new subject (like mythology) alongside students, I think that the hardest thing would be organizing the content meaningfully. It is difficult for me to see the big picture for something that I do not fully understand.

# data[].attributes.body
I thought that Eric’s presentation the other day was very inspiring as a future educator. The one thing that I really took away from his talk was the fact of how he pushes himself every day to make sure that his students lead the discussion and make sure that he is there as a guide. He explained how his first year was too much “teacher-talk” rather than “student-talk”. I think as a student it is very empowering to be able to voice your thoughts and opinions in a safe space that was created for you. The level in which student’s discuss is amazing, and just like Eric said they can see things that you missed, opening a whole new perspective in regards to the topic of discussion. I hope to be able to take Eric's priceless advice and put it towards my own teaching style and classroom. I love the level of discussion that students can have at the high school age and is one of the reason I wanted to be a teacher. The use of various literature works and the power of critical literacy opens up new ideas and perspectives that you never thought of before. I definitely want to use what Eric said to push my students and challenge their way of thinking to make them compassionate listeners and mature debtors, and hold their beliefs firm and true.

# data[].attributes.body
Eric's visit was very entertaining. It was super cool to see a current ELA teacher talk about what goes on in his life and how he structures his teaching philosophy. The main takeaway I have from his talk was when he said "Always be authentic". That really stood out to me because staying true to yourself when becoming a teacher is very important. Sticking with your beliefs and your teaching style/outlook is something you cant lose. However, he also reiterated how he doesn't try to persuade his students into his beliefs, but instead shows both sides and answers their questions with questions. Being open with your students and being authentic and letting them form their own opinions is crucial.

# data[].attributes.body
I really enjoyed Eric’s visit and the conversations we were able to have.  I think it was really helpful for me to see how someone in a real classroom is dealing with real real-world issues that intimidate me, as a future teacher.  I think that as long as the classroom has an established environment that is productive, safe, and conducive to learning, students generally can handle the real-world aspects that find their way into the classroom.  You can’t avoid these topics, so you should just aim to be honest, but respectful about them.  I think that’s a great way to look at anything your students might bring into the classroom.

# data[].attributes.body
The thing that interested me most about Eric's visit was the idea of having to teach classes that you may not have planned on originally. I asked the question about how a teacher comes to teach certain electives. I loved Eric's response to my question, that you're not always handed the exact electives that you may want to teach and that sometimes you're handed classes that everybody else refused. He made it clear that, with these "undesirable" classes comes a crucial opportunity to make it your own. You can learn with your students and dabble in an area that you may have never considered before. His example of teaching a mythology class was something that was interesting, as well, because I know that I very strongly dislike mythology, but that if I were given the opportunity to teach it, why not? What do I have to lose? I could end up realizing I love the topic and grow along with some of the students in my class. Over all, it was made clear that being adaptable and stepping outside of your comfort zone will make the teaching experience that much more fulfilling.