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This isn't realistic since the classroom size is so small, but I enjoy this layout of a classroom for English. In class, we talked about classroom layouts and how they can affect the classroom and how it functions. I want my classes to be open and discussion-based. This kind of layout would allow me to see and reach each students while also allowing the students to cultivate an environment where they are open to discuss with one another.

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I chose this image because it speaks a lot to the perceptions of what an English teacher is. The most common response I get when I say I want to be an English teacher is "oh, so are you silently correcting my grammar right now?" I understand the sentiment (and no, I'm not correcting your grammar) but it seems to undermine a lot of what teachers do. Even this image doesn't completely capture the "what I actually do" part of being an English teacher. Like we've learned throughout all of class, we are educators, supporters, connection-makers, and at times, counselors, supervisors, and monitors. Several factors go into being a teacher, and I don't think that's something others outside of the profession realize.

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I found this article particularly interesting for a few reasons. For one, my current clinical students are writing argumentative essays and this is one of their possible topics. Many of them agree that homework should be banned because it is too stressful. Second, I find this interesting because I personally believe homework shouldn't be banned but rather limited. In an English class, I might agree that homework is unnecessary and could discourage students from reading (if the homework assigned was reading). But in other classes such as math, homework is essential to practice the material and ensure that it is thoroughly understood. Third, this article was interesting because it discussed a "homework gap" between students who have access to technology outside of the classroom and those who don't. It discusses how students who have no access to technology often don't get their homework done because most of it is online. I didn't realize this could be an issue still since every student seems to have some access to technology. Nonetheless, this could be good reasoning for not having homework. I don't think we particularly discussed this in class, but being able to accommodate to students' needs definitely is something we discussed. Whether or not a teacher gives a lot of homework should fit into a student's needs.

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After a Montreal school announced it would ban homework, the question feared by parents across the world reared its head once again: Why should anyone do their homework?

The role of homework in classrooms is not a new debate, and studies differ on where the focus should lie.

A well-known 2006 meta analysis of research between 1987 and 2003 suggested some correlation between the amount of homework done by a student and future academic achievement for middle and high schoolers-but not so much for younger kids.

In Malta, age-based differences are being put into public policy, with the government announcing guidelines for slowly increasing amounts of homework for public-school children. Kids in grades one and two start at a maximum of 20 minutes of homework a day before climbing to a maximum of eight hours a week for the eldest students.

According to The Malta Independent, that policy came after a World Health Organization report noted that Maltese children felt overpressured from the amounts of homework they were being given.

A Stanford study from 2014 suggested that the same was true for students in California's affluent communities. The findings challenged the idea that homework was "inherently good," senior lecturer Denise Pope wrote, suggesting there was an upper limit to the correlation between homework and achievement.

Pope concluded that high school students shouldn't be doing more than about two hours of homework a night. Speaking to Newsweek, she said that research suggested the most valuable kind of homework for elementary-level children was simply assigned free reading.

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Rural versus urban access
The topic gets a little more complicated when we talk about the divide between rural and urban communities. Pope's study looked at affluent Californians, but students in rural areas can face a stress of different kind: the "homework gap." In more far-flung areas, the poor quality or plain lack of internet access can put students at a disadvantage in an education system that's increasingly aimed at the well connected.

According to FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, who coined the term "homework gap," seven in 10 teachers assign homework that requires broadband access, while one in three households might not have internet access.

"It didn't exist when I was growing up. All I needed for homework was a pencil, some paper and my brother leaving me alone," Rosenworcel said in a recent speech to the National League of Cities.

Rosenworcel told stories of kids around the country going to diners and parking lots to access the internet service they need to complete school assignments-and how fixes like Wi-Fi on school buses could help those kids keep up with their classmates.

A similar divide in another part of the world saw a much broader policy change. After parents in the United Arab Emirates complained that they had to shell out for resources for their kids to complete homework assignments, the Ministry of Education banned pricey homework.

"Homework should not be resource-intensive, requiring massive financial outlays from parents, or age-inappropriate in a way that it cannot be completed by the children to whom it is assigned," one official told the local newspaper Gulf News.
Going beyond academic achievement
While those topics might focus on a student's academic achievement, homework might have other benefits, too. A study in Germany found that another effect homework could have is on students' personalities, with research suggesting that doing homework might make kids more conscientious.
Related: Are 4-Day Weeks the Answer to Problems Facing America's School Districts?
"Our results show that homework is not only relevant for school performance but also for personality development-provided that students put a lot of effort into their assignments," Richard Göllner, author of the University of Tübingen study, said in a press release.

However, as Pope noted to Newsweek, if someone is looking to teach conscientiousness, there are likely better ways to do that than just assigning homework.

Pope's point feeds into an issue Göllner also raised: that whether or not homework is worthwhile really depends on what its goals are.

"We need to define more precisely what expectations we have of the potential of homework and how those expectations can be fulfilled," Göllner wrote.

While the homework discussion is not a new one, the competing factors affecting students' achievement as well as their well-being is likely to make it a continuing balancing act for schools around the world.

Though, as one Montreal student told CTV, "No homework? That's every kid's dream."

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After a Montreal school announced it would ban homework, the question feared by parents across the world reared its head once again: Why should anyone do their homework? The role of homework in classrooms is not a new debate, and studies differ on where the focus should lie.

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If there is one thing that I am most intimidated about as a pre-professional teacher, it is the edTPA. Before this class, I had only heard horror stories from other student teachers about how difficult, confusing and time consuming it is. I was intimidated and nervous any time I heard or thought about the edTPA. After this class, however, I've realized that I CAN tackle the edTPA on my own in the future and that it is very doable. By breaking down the edTPA word by word and highlighting the important parts of it, I've gotten over my fear of the edTPA. I may still be a little overwhelmed by it, but I do know now that I am capable of tackling the task. In class when we would talk through the prompts, it was the most helpful because I was able to realize what was needed for the section and be as detailed as possible.

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Before this class, the extent of my knowledge of technology tools for education expanded only to PowerPoint and Kahoot. I've learned so many other tools, such as GoReact, Padlet, Quizizz, JeopardyRocks, and so many more that will help me and my students be more creative and engaged in my classroom. I felt like I was prepared and advanced in educational technology before this class but now realize that I wasn't. Thankfully, this class has shown me a lot of tools as well as how to use them and why they are important. Having to use the different technologies and learn about them through assignments were the most helpful in familiarizing me with the new technology tools.

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In an English classroom, it can be hard to grade students' knowledge on a topic since it's such a subjective matter. Through the readings and discussions during class, I've learned that thorough rubrics and assignment sheets can make grading a little more objective. Filling out a section on grading in our syllabi was helpful for me to realize what I found truly important with grading. Also, creating our own rubrics helped me think through how grading truly worked in process. Finally, being able to use rubrics and grade each other on little things such as the QR code project was useful.

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I started this class by thinking that classroom management would be the most difficult part of being a teacher. This hasn't changed BUT my outlook has. I have a bigger toolbox to handle classroom conflicts and am capable of doing so. By creating a positive and detailed classroom community, I'll have to worry less about problems. And if problems do arise, I now have more confidence in approaching the conflicts in a way that works best for me. The hot moments and discussion on parent situations helped me develop my sense of what I would do to handle those issues and thus built my confidence.