Well, I am done for the semester (except one final)! I can't believe I am already a junior. I have decided to add pre-medicine back into my agenda, but I am still keeping my pre-natural science secondary education major because I like it and it meets all of the requirements for UNMC entry. Seeing as only 11% of applicants make it in my degree is perfect to fall back on because I would enjoy teaching/coaching!
Schools and Society- The main issue I had with this class is that the large portion of our semester/grade was spent on a project that was kind of odd. It was a 12-15 page paper plus a case study in a group setting. The groups each had about five people and the paper was mainly based on research. I think it would have been easier to write if it was about something more factual (ex. a paper on a country and its culture) but it was about ethics. It was very difficult to get everyone in the group to think in the same direction and I felt like we were constantly having to redo what we already had done. We did learn how to compromise and by the end I thought we were all on the same brain wave. But if I were the one designing the assignment I would have shortened the page length and made it into a one person assignment. This class did help me to see different perspectives. In the beginning of this class we had a lot of group discussions and there was one student that lacked social graces and would just interrupt and talk endlessly. I thought the professor handled this very well, because it was important to realize that the student is on a different level. It is important to allow your students to express their thoughts and I admired the professor's patience. Also, we read a Deborah Meier's book that I found interesting.
Biology-We fell pretty far behind in the syllabus in this class. But I liked that rather than hurrying through material in order to stick to schedule he was not concerned about it. The material we did make it through we learned well because it was in detail. The lab was a LOT of work, probably an equal amount to the lecture. Seeing as I will teach high school I would definitely lesson the lab work. I like that we did the lab reports a section at a time, and the labs correlated to what we learning in lecture. I really liked the sea urchin reproduction lab and also the plant cells (nail polish, microscope) lab I think I could replicate those in my class.
Time for a break until summer classes! Whoo!
