Reflection

Looking back at my college days I always enjoyed those classes in which my professor's breathed life into the coursework. A consistent theme in which I had noticed about my learning experiences at UNM was that if I found the class interesting I consistently showed up and I consistently did better in the class.  For example, I had a professor named Steve Alley who taught "Psychology of Personality."  His class was outstanding and I always looked forward to going and learning. Now the reason his class was so stimulating to me was because he taught different from most of the professors I had encountered throughout my education. He was definietley not the norm. Everyday we walked into the classroom, Alley had music playing from a boombox, and it was always an uplifting or innovative song recommended by his students.  Right off the bat you got a good feeling about coming to class. Then Alley would teach his courses by going over the textbook material and readings but  he offered his own life experiences to the material. I found that this teaching style made an easier connection to the material being referenced. Having another persons real life story connected to Pavlov's theory of conditioning was so much more interesting than just reading the chapter and taking a multiple choice test. As a prospective teacher, I wish to have Alley's enthusiasm and personal touch while teaching any students.