Farewell Letters From the Past

Dr. Smirnova was kind enough to give us a chance to read 10 letters from students who were previously in the Science Methods course, which I'll link here. I read them at the beginning of the semester, and they were all very helpful in seeing what I was getting into with this course. While reading the letters, I noticed a few common themes at most of the students seemed to emphasize. Number one, I learned that I must be organized to succeed in this class. This is true for all classes, but especially this one. Dr. Smirnova doesn't always tell you when things are due, but that is for a reason; she wants us to be independent and responsible for completing the assignments on our own. This is kind of different than what I'm used to, but the students from the past assured me that as long as I stay organized, I'll be fine. Another thing that was emphasized in the letters was the fact that this class really prepares you to be a great teacher. That's really nice to hear because I know that even when I'm struggling with an assignment, I have to push through and do it because in the end, it'll make me a much better teacher. Even assignments that I don't necessarily agree with or struggle to figure out, I know will help me later down the line, which makes doing them much more worthwhile. The last point that a lot of past students emphasized was that Dr. Smirnova really will do anything for her students to succeed. That is something that is very valuable to me as a student; knowing that I have a teacher who is 100% in my corner and will stop at nothing to help me succeed. Halfway through the semester, I already have seen that's the truth. When my group and I stayed up late the night before our inquiry lesson, Dr. Smirnova was right there with us, face timing and calling us late at night, just to give us some extra resources or feedback. This was very beneficial to me and my group, just as these letters from the past were. These letters helped me see what I can expect for the semester, and I'm looking forward to writing one of these of my own for the students next semester!