Speaking and Listening

When it comes to Speaking and Listening, I enjoy the listening side of it. Listening requires little to no effort. Listening goes a long way in a classroom setting. For example, it is impossible to succeed in college if you are not a good listener. Most classes here at EWU are lecture classes and seminars where listening is the key to success. If you do not listen then you do not take notes and if you do not take notes then you do not pass. I know there is more to listening than just listening. There are some students who struggle with attention. I had many classmates whom could not pay attention due to ADD or something of that sort. It is unfortunate that some students struggle with this. However, these students whom struggle with listening are sometimes the best at Speaking.

On the other hand, Speaking is not my strong suit. In class, the answer can be in my head but I will not speak up some times. Speaking is something I have been working on since my freshman year. There is some progress, but I am not where I want to be. I believe that I have bright ideas to share with my classmates. I just need to keep working in order to remove that fear of speaking up.

When I become an educator I want my students to speak up as much as possible. I want them to be able to share their ideas with no fear. For those whom are shy I want to work closely with them to get to the root of that fear. Many teachers do not pay attention to that aspect of education. However, I believe that as educators it is our job to prepare students for whatever is ahead of them both in the class and out of it. I know the shy students might hate me for calling on them often. However, I know in the long run they will look back and be thankful for it. 

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