Creating Myths

    After creating my own myth, I have developed a newfound appreciation for myths and their creators. When we read a myth, we forget that in the past these myths were primarily told orally and that’s how they'd be passed down from generation to generation. To create a good myth, one has to be good at storytelling, and that takes creativity. I will say that studying myths did help my creative process because the majority of myths are meant to teach something in a way that the reader will be able to retain the information. 

    Initially I thought that writing a myth was going to be easy, but I found it to be quite difficult because I wanted to tell a story that hadn't already been told. Personally I thought it was quite funny that I found this assignment to be difficult because I’d like to think I’m good at storytelling, but I guess that it was just harder because I had to create something that was structured around a prompt. Myths, at least from my understanding, are meant to teach the reader a valuable life lesson or about a natural phenomenon, and that’s why I wanted to do something similar. 

    The way I’d use what I learned in my future teachings is by using storytelling as a way to engage the students in learning. I’ve always been able to absorb information better when there is a story attached to it because it seems easier to understand. When I was in community college, I had a professor whose primary teaching style was to incorporate stories in his teachings, and I can just about remember everything I learned in that class, and I think this is the same effect myths are supposed to have.

Writing Poetry vs Writing About Poetry

    When reflecting on the similarities and differences between writing poetry and writing about poetry, I think I found there to be more differences and fewer similarities. The only thing I found similar between both was how they can stem from personal experiences even if it isn't specifically mentioned in the poem, or they can just be an outlet for creative ideas. As for the differences, I found writing about poetry to be much more difficult because you're giving your own interpretation of the poem and trying to prove your point. The reason I found writing about poetry to be difficult was because many people can have different interpretations of the same poem, and I believe that poems are written not to be argued but to be understood differently by different people. 

    Personally I thought that writing poetry was much more enjoyable because it’s your own, and it can be used as a creative outlet to inadvertently discuss your own emotional troubles or to just make it about something fun. However, writing about poetry did help my own writing process because it showed me that you don't have to be too specific in the words you choose to use but rather in the way they are structured throughout. Plus, I found that not all poems have to be long to make an impact because sometimes less is more. Overall I found the whole writing experience to be insightful and I think I’m going to start using some of the ideas we used in class for my own writing because it made it easier to structure what I wanted to write about.

Hello and Welcome

    Hello and welcome! My name is Magali, and I’m going to write a little something about me. Throughout my life, I’ve had a variety of different teachers, some of whom have impacted my life in the most positive ways while simultaneously teaching me something new. Their impact on my life has inspired me to pursue teaching, which is why I am currently working towards my degree at Cal State Northridge. Since teaching is a career I’m currently pursuing it is important to think about how I’d want my classroom to be run.

    Media technology has become a part of day to day life, but I don’t think it should play a role in teaching at any level. We live in a world where it is difficult to avoid how technology has impacted us as a society, which is why technology should be left outside of the classroom. Depending on the school, a class period is between 45 to 60 minutes, which in hindsight is a relatively short amount of time for a student to go without some form of media. The classroom is where I feel that teachers should actively try to engage with their students as I believe that’s what makes the greater impact. 

    I used to work for an after-school program which consisted of only middle school students and I'd often listen to their complaints about how their classrooms were being run. The members were pretty vocal about their dislike of technology in the classroom, having most members complain about not being able to grasp the information due to the fact that it is solely being taught to them online. The students would be asked to write down slide after slide without being taught any of the information, essentially teaching themselves. This shows just how codependent teachers have become on technology, failing to realize they are handing over their role to an electronic device. Teachers should use the little time they have to engage with their students because if they're not excited to teach, why would the students be excited to learn?