What I Learned in My Developmental Psychology Class?

As I look back over the last 24 years of my life there are so many people and situations that have played a significant role in my development up to this point. When I was in 5^th grade my dad went to work at Crowley's Ridge Academy. A few years later he eventually became the president of the school and this would have a drastic influence on my life. I was a freshman in college when I realized the significance of my father's job. Up until that point I had never considered the stress and fatigue that goes along with a job like his. During my years in college and after graduation I became very aware of the difficulties my dad faced day in and out regarding his job. Dad never allowed his job to invade his home life. He never complained about the difficulties of his job. The only reason I ever came to the aforementioned realization was based entirely on maturing and simply learning more about life. Dad provided me with a great example of how to deal with stressful situations without letting them come into your family life.

During my dad's time at CRA I saw how he put everything he had into this school. It was during this time that I made up my mind that I would do everything in my power to help my dad succeed and make CRA the greatest school I could. Seeing how much effort dad put into it made me want to work that much harder. I enjoyed mowing yards so when I had free time I would go up to CRA and do any mowing that needed done. Dad always offered to pay me but I really did not care about the money. These experiences allowed me to learn how important it is to serve good causes in your community. To go along with this I also learned how to be an advocate for something at this time. I learned about the school and all the things it had to offer so that when I was speaking with someone from the community about the school I could relay all the benefits of CRA to that person. It taught me that one of the best ways to further a cause is to instill in people this sense of advocacy. I feel that the best way to get the word out about your cause is to have quality people who can communicate with others in your community about all the good things going on at your organization.

My grandpa has played an essential role in my life since I was born. I spent almost every Friday night with my grandparents along with my brothers and sisters. Grandpa would play with us and do whatever we wanted to do from the time we arrived until we left. He came to every athletic contest we ever participated in and always showed his support for us any way that he could. He also happens to be an incredibly hard worker. He is 84 years old and he still mows lawns full time. He continues to run up stairs and does half a mile on a treadmill each day. He is famous, at least to me, for saying that the only reason people succumb to the difficulties of old age is because of mental reasons. He says that if you make up your mind to do something you can always do it. That is the reason he is 84 and still mowing large plots of land for a living in addition to running up stairs and on the treadmill. He taught me to work hard. More importantly he showed me that if you have the right attitude and determination anything can be accomplished at any age.

My parents taught me to be very open minded, especially from a religious perspective. I was raised church of Christ from the day I was born but I was lucky that my parents encouraged me to explore any and all things regarding the Bible and our religion. For example, in most church of Christ congregations you will hear people talk about how instrumental music is wrong as it relates to our worships services. I have never found anything in the Bible that has convinced me of this opinion. I have always been a member at church of Christ congregations but if friends invited me to worship at another church or denomination I have always accepted their invitation even if their worship or doctrine was much different than what I was familiar with. Over the past few years I have attended Baptist churches and community churches and seen a lot of different things. Because my family taught me to be open minded regarding these issues I feel that I have a stronger world view regarding issues of this magnitude.

My wife has definitely been an influence in my life. I have never met someone with such an amazing heart and kind soul. She always does the right thing no matter what. She is an incredible example to all of those around her. As it relates to me she has made me want to focus my life around my family. I want my life to be centered on those I love. She has taught me that it is more important to be there for the ones you love in their times of need instead of focusing on your needs and wants.

I literally have no major regrets in my life. I am far from perfect but I truly believe I have made good decisions at least 51% of the time. I do have a few minor regrets. I wish I would have focused more on basketball my senior year of high school. I fell for a cute blond and I devoted most of my time to her. At least I married her. Along the same lines, I wish I would have donated more time to baseball my sophomore year of college. I was not very good but I had a decent, not great, freshman year. I should have capitalized on that but I did not. I have the most incredible family and there is nothing I would change there. I believe I have made solid career decisions to this point in my life. Some people might consider that ludicrous considering I have had three different jobs since graduating from college and with each one I have gone down in pay but each job was my choice. I also married the girl of my dreams. I think it goes without saying that I love my life the way it is, has been, and hopefully the way it will be in the future.

The theory that we studied that I feel has had the most impact on my life is Alfred Adler's theory regarding the need to understand individuals within their social context. I love what Adler has to say about human beings being born with a sense of inferiority and how we spend our whole lives trying to overcome these feelings by striving for perfection. He talks about how we have this need to compensate for our inferiorities and this motivates us throughout our entire life. As I read all of this information I felt like he was speaking directly to me. This sense of inferiority is what drives almost every decision I make throughout the day. It forces me to strive for perfection. I feel that I strive to be the best in some areas of my life to compensate for areas where I am far from the best. What Adler has to say is so true. Essay Question Two

Throughout this semester I learned so much from the theories and psychologists that we studied that I will be able to incorporate into the classroom. When we talked about Freud I remember that according to his psychosexual theory children attempt to mimic the traits they see in people they trust and respect. This was one of the first things I learned and possibly one of the most important things I learned. As somebody who will shape young people's lives I have to remember that first and foremost I need to be an example to the students in my classroom. It is important that students learn but if I cannot set a positive example during my time with these students it is time wasted. I may be the best academic teacher ever but if my students do not learn anything from me regarding morals and character than I have failed. At the same time I must realize that simply following a strict moral code is not going to always be enough. If I cannot connect with my students it may not matter what type of example I set. I will discuss this in more detail when I look at the 'Love and Logic' theory.

When we talked about Skinner I remember discussing the role of reinforcers in the classroom. It is going to be very difficult to determine exactly when reinforcers should be used and what type of reinforcers should be used. That being said, reinforcers will be a key to managing my classroom in an appropriate way. Reinforcers will not only determine the discipline aspect of my classroom but it will play a role in how my students learn and retain knowledge. I learned that reinforcers can be an incredible tool in the school environment but if not used correctly they can be devastating at the same time.

Regarding Erikson's psychosocial stages I learned a very generic principle. These theorists poured everything they had into their theories and principles. As teachers they have provided us with immense amounts of information regarding the students we will have in our classroom every day. It will be my job to determine which theories provide the most crucial information regarding the management of my classroom from an academic and discipline aspect. Once I determine which theories provide me with the best information I need to dissect that theory from every angle so I can learn what to expect from my students. To go along with this I can also learn by studying these theories what learning strategies and techniques will be the most effective for the students in my classroom. It would be a shame to waste the hard work of these psychologists by ignoring their works and what they have to offer to a teacher.

Throughout this class I also learned the importance of differentiated instruction. If you take a look at the theories we discussed it does not take more than five minutes to see that despite certain age groups that have the same behavior traits we are all still very different from many aspects. Our students are going to come to us from very different backgrounds. We will have students of various races, religions, ethnic groups, and socioeconomic backgrounds. We have to be able to evaluate students in light of their own circumstances. If we view all of our students as being exactly the same we will fail drastically. We will have to be able to step in the shoes of our students and sometimes this will be very difficult for us because of the different backgrounds we all come from. Once we understand that each of our students is different we will have to evaluate our teaching methods to determine which methods help all of our students learn. While one method may be good for a certain group of students it may take an entirely different approach to reach another group of students.

We had so many excellent presentations throughout this semester. More than anything else each of these presentations taught me that I will be dealing with students in many cases who are struggling with problems that I could never imagine. They could be struggling with family problems, mental issues, or even physical ailments. To come into the classroom and assume that each of my students has a great life would be a great disservice to my students. As teachers we are in a unique position in our students lives. By that I mean that we spend more time with them each day that almost anybody else. I have already hit on this a little bit but it will be our job to not only teach them academic skills but to also be aware of the warning signs they give us regarding the problems in their lives. In many situations we may be the only person in the world who can help them deal with their certain issue. I learned that we have to always be alert and ready to come to the aid of any student in our classroom.

The concept that had the most impact on me this semester dealt with the presentation about 'Love and Logic' along with the audio clips we listened to and responded too. I always thought the best way to handle discipline in the classroom was to jump on students the minute they did something wrong. After learning about 'Love and Logic' I saw that there might just be a better way to handle difficulties in the classroom. When I listened to the audio clip I remember the story Dr. Fay told about his grandson at the very beginning of the clip. His grandson said a bad word in the car and instead of punishing the boy immediately his father waited until he could consider what punishment would be the most effective. Not only does this story provide teachers with an excellent blueprint but it is a great technique for a parent to use. 'Love and Logic' is truly unique because the principles it discusses can be applied across all settings of education and parenthood.

I have only been in an education setting for a few years but one of the things I have noticed is that a lot of teachers do not attempt to foster any type of relationship with their students. Obviously, there is a fine line but 'Love and Logic' makes the argument that it is important for teachers to establish appropriate relationships with their students. 'Love and Logic' argues that students will work harder for teachers who they feel care about them and have their best interest at hand. I truly believe this aspect of 'Love and Logic' can be one of the most influential things I can use in the classroom.

Throughout this class I learned so many important things regarding education and psychology. I loved learning about all the theories we talked about. As I evaluated my own life, I was amazed at how true these theories were. It was a lot of fun to learn about human nature in this way. At times I even questioned why I had never considered a degree in psychology. There is no doubt that the principles and techniques I learned will help me as I progress in an educational career or any career for that matter.