Thank you & good bye from EDI 17 class

Thank you & good bye
EDI 17 Psychology & Development of Adolescent Students
Spring, 2009
Long Island University, C. W. Post

I really enjoyed our very last class and the entire course overall. I can honestly say that I learned a lot in this course and all that Dr. Boyanton had to offer. One of the major things that I learned was motivation and how we can better motivate ourselves and our students as well. Another thing that I learned was how to engage more with our surroundings through the intellectual and stimulating class discussions that we all shared as a class. Not only that, I learned how to engage more with the public through my research and preparation for the CESTL.

However, the most important thing that I learned from this class is that it is the teacher that truly makes a difference in the classroom. The way that I learned this is through Dr. Boyanton and her teaching. Dr. Boyanton is an extremely passionate person in terms of her learning and teaching. She truly cares about her students and this is very evident by her engagement, motivation, and dedication with the class and the course overall. I can honestly say that sadly there are not many teachers like Dr. Boyanton and I strongly believe that we should all try to be more like her when it comes to teaching. It is plain and simple, when the teacher cares, then the students care. I am very thankful that I had the opportunity of taking this course with Dr. Boyanton and the peers that I had. I have gained so much knowledge that I can take with me and use for my future teaching.

I am so grateful that Dr. Boyanton assigned this project to us because even though it was up to me to change my undesirable habits, she gave me the initial push to do so. In a way, she helped me change my life and I am very thankful for that. Most importantly I feel great, better about myself, and I feel much healthier. I have learned from Dr. Boyanton that it is possible to make changes in our life in order to better ourselves. I have learned so much from her. In fact I have learned more from her than I have from any of my other teachers in college and that means a lot to me. (Daniel.Barone , 04-28-09)
=========

One of the things I like about our class is that we were given a clear explanation of the assignments ahead of time and that the assignments are due in steps, for example: the first draft, revised draft and final draft of the paper. It keeps you on track and it is much easier to pace yourself this way. To say that I am a procrastinator is an understatement. I wait for the last minute to do everything. I really like that you post all the assignments due for the week on WebCT, it is really helpful to know when things are due. The examples that you give us are very helpful too. The only thing I would suggest is that you also give undergraduate examples instead of just graduate examples, it can get a little overwhelming and frustrating. (Andrea Garcia, 4/22/09)

=============

I truly loved this class and can genuinely say it was my favorite so far throughout my entire college education. The learning experience was something I had never encountered before, not even in high school. It was a complete interactive environment. No lecture at all, and I think that’s what made it so great a class. Instead of being talked at for an entire class we moved around, talked with our classmates, and shared our experiences with one another. I also really liked how it important it was in the beginning that we learned everyone’s name. No other professor makes knowing each other’s name such a priority in the classroom.

Professor Boyanton, I want to thank you for a wonderful semester. It is obvious you care about your students and your passion for being in the classroom is completely infectious. (Ilyssa Adelman, 4/29/09)
==========

Today’s class was amazing. In my 18 years of schooling, I have never once felt the way I did when I walked out of the class this afternoon. I felt motivated, thrilled, proud, happy, excited, dedicated, and so many more emotions that I just can’t articulate. I have seen several of my classmates present their PowerPoint or posters, and I am so proud of each and every one of them.

I was elated that my Keynote presentation went as well as it did. I felt confident going into it, and I ended up proving my own theory: simply having the faith and positive attitude is half the battle. There was one particular slip-up that no one seemed to notice, but I feel like, as a whole, the presentation was great. Again, because of this positive attitude and sense of pride in my work, I am able to constructively criticize myself instead of beat myself up over silly things. I feel like there was a lot that held me back when I was younger, and today was a crystal clear sign that it’s all in the past, and I am a bigger, better, and stronger person.

I am just as proud of my classmates, though. We have all worked so hard and for so long, and all the work is going to pay off for us. To sit among such talented, intelligent, and driven people for an entire semester, and then to watch all their research and effort be shown off in front of a huge audience – it’s going to be great! We’ll be able to say that we spoke at a conference. How many undergraduate students can say that? It’s great to see how far we have all come since January. We did it!

I’ve made no secret about how I feel like EDI 17 changed me for the better. It didn’t just make me a better teacher or learner; it made me a better person. My CESTL presentation, my research, my self-management project, and just being in this class in general have all taught me to smile. There is no problem in the world a smile cannot fix. Sometimes, I’ll have to fake it. But I truly believe that you get out of life what you put into it -- like your quote about life being a mirror. It’s absolutely true! In teaching and in learning, if I try my best to smile and find the happy, my result will be so much better. As a teacher, I will greet every single student with a smile and a warm “hello,” and I will believe in them as much as you believed in us. As a student, I will not let frustration or fear get the better of me. (Chris Barone, 4/28/09)

============
I haven’t really had much time to reflect on our last class due to my hectic schedule but in thinking about it now it was bittersweet. I always look forward to summer and a chance to have a break and catch my breath. The school year is long and with working and being captain of a college sports team on top of school is exhausting sometimes. With that said I will miss our class.

At first I wasn’t sure what to expect from the class. It seemed like there was a lot of work, but as time went on I enjoyed a lot of it and the chemistry in our class made it very fun. It was always a class I looked forward to going to. The lessons were always interesting and I liked that we watched the movie “October Sky”. I always thought that was a good movie and it put both good teaching and good parenting into perspective.

Overall it was probably my freshest class, because of the pace and again different activities we did. The discussions were always interesting, engaging, and most importantly honest. For someone like myself who sometimes can be reserved and tends to listen more than speak, I found myself very comfortable participating in these discussions, some of which were very controversial and sensitive.

I also appreciate your contribution to the class, Professor Boyanton. You were always very pleasant and generally seemed like you liked what you were doing. I thought one person said it best, when you brought in one of your co-faculty members for the lesson on people we look up to, she described you as someone with an enormous amount of energy and passion. I found that to be very true. So even though I will see you on Saturday and I am sure I will be in contact before that with you, I want to thank you for your help and for making the class very fun and exciting. Even if it seems students aren’t always motivated, if you stay motivated it will eventually motivate them. Your passion for teaching and understanding people is Once again, Professor thank you for a great class. (Thomas Brouillard, 4/28/09)
==========

During this whole semester I have learned a lot. In the beginning of the class I was really nervous. Looking at the syllabus was really intimidating because there was a lot of stuff there. Once I read through each page and marked down due dates I realized that there was a lot of work for the class but overall it was spanned out. Once I realized this I knew that I had time to get big projects done and it put my mind at ease.

I really enjoyed our class. I have never really had a class like this throughout my entire college career. I got to know my peers really well in the class and I think that made the class that much more enjoyable. To be able to speak to all your classmates and have the students understand your opinion and are able to talk about things without screaming at each other was really great.
I learned a lot of things that I will definitely take to the classroom when I do student teaching in the fall. In a social studies class I would teach if the issue of race came up in one of my topics I would defiantly do the exercise “cross over” because I think it gives a loud and clear message to the students that its not race that’s the problem everyone goes through different things in their life even if they are Black, White, or Asian, or they are low or high class.

What I have learned from this class I will definitely take with me through all of my teaching. I have learned a lot about adolescents that I think that is important when you are going to teach them in the near future.

Overall this course has taught me a lot of things about adolescents that I will need to know. Everyone in our class was really great in sharing their opinions and not putting down anyone. We learned a lot of different things that as future teachers we will run into like gender and stereotypes among students. I will really miss my classmates and our teacher because this was by far the best education class I have ever taken in college. (Lindsay Springer, 4/29/09)
==========

This semester ended so quickly. I still do not even feel like it is over. I am so used to the whole semester process and am curious to see how next semester goes since I am student teaching. It’s weird to think that today was my last day of actual class in my undergraduate career. Although I did not have to take EDI 17 in my last semester, I am glad the way things worked out.

I think our class was made up of a lot of great students who will become great teachers. I learned so much from our class. I always get annoyed with education classes because I am a biology education major and love science. I always want to take more science classes because I feel having more knowledge of my subject area will help me to become a better teacher. I get frustrated with education classes in which the semester is wasted talking about nothing when I could have been taking a marine biology course.

However, I did not feel this way about our class. I wish more professors and teachers used Dr. Boyanton’s style of teaching. The class was very interactive and approaching learning in a variety of ways. I am normally shy in my classes but I always felt comfortable in our class. If this method is what Dr. Boyanton’s research is about, I am glad to have been a part of it.

I think one of the most important things I learned in our class was how important the teacher student relationship and students relationships with each other are. When a community is created in a classroom all that is left is the learning. Being part of a community motivates you to learn and to take responsibility for your learning. I am proud to say that the knowledge I obtained in this education course is knowledge that I will actually use in my future. Thank you, Dr. Boyanton for making our class worthwhile. (Dana LaRose April 28, 2009)
===========

I was sad to see our class come to an end. I really enjoyed this class and I am looking forward to the conference on Saturday to present my research project. I found this class to be really interesting because it was very interactive and we engaged in many in class discussions that are interesting such as gender differences and adolescent sexuality . I think that that the course was very well organized and I learned a lot from it. I found you to be a very caring teacher that really tried to help us a future educators know some vital skills to help us be successful. (Eric Morris, 4/28/09)
===========

I really believe that there is no advice that can be given to improve this course. You can really tell that Dr. Boyanton is truly passionate about teaching and really takes her time out to prepare every single lesson. Although it may seem like a lot of work, it is all worth it. I feel like I have grown as an educator because of Dr. Boyanton because she opened up new ideas and doorways for us to explore and maybe to use in our classroom.

This education class is the best education class that I have taken at C.W. Post and it will probably remain that way. I can really say that I learned a lot from every different activity that was done and from the readings that were assigned. I love the fact that Dr. Boyanton takes the time out to share our journals so we can see other students’ opinions of what we did in class. I really don’t think that she needs to improve anything in this class because everything we did this whole semester was very worthwhile and informative and I learned so much from this education class out of all of them that I have taken previously. (Elyse Capozza, 4/29/09)
=========

I am sad that this class is ending. Of the eight courses I pursued this semester, I can honestly say that this course proved to be the most challenging one. I was pushed to limits that will help me as I go on to obtain my Master and Doctorate degrees, as well as in my professional career.

While the coursework wasn't difficult, it was dense. The most challenging part for me was the WebCT time sensitive submission of each assignment. This incorporation of technology into an undergraduate level course was a new experience for me. I didn't always like it. At times I felt boxed in by it. Overall, however, I see the purpose of it: to grow accustomed to having deadlines and adhering to them. Also, to familiarize myself with technology and how it can work on my behalf.

To anyone considering taking Dr. Boyanton's section of EDI 17, I would advise them to be prepared for the heavy course and serious dedication that it requires; however, at the end, it will all be worth it.

To Dr. Boyanton, all I can say is keep up the great work. The work you do matters. You make a difference in your student's lives. I know. You've made a difference in mine. You will live on in history as one of my best professors. Thank you. (Vivett Hemans, 4/28/09)