hindsight is 20 reflection

8/2/2019 Hindsight is 20 Reflection

1/5

Hindsight is 20/20

Reflective Essay

Allison Hood


2/5

As I reflect on my first year, I recall the saying Hindsight is 20/20.

Looking back at my first year, I was taught a very valuable lesson, although

I didnt realize it at the time. At the end of the business course I was

teaching, students were required to complete a practice business plan.

A practice business plan is a simulated exercise where students become

bookkeepers and/or managers for a hypothetical company. They have the

opportunity to work through the entire business cyclefrom opening the

accounts as the business begins its daily operations to closing them out at

the end of the business fiscal period. Students are required to record daily

transactions, write checks, and prepare financial reports. It is an enormous

project and takes a lot of time both in class and out of class.

Students were told that it would count for a large percentage of their

semester grade and that if there were cheating, all involved would

automatically fail the course. Being nave and from a middle-class

background, I felt sure that such a threat would prevent any cheating.


3/5

Naturally, two students proved me wrong. One was from a very low,

socioeconomic background. College was not even an option for him but a

high school diploma might help him land a job after graduation. Being a

new teacher, I felt that I should stick to my principles, no matter what the

consequences. Therefore, I failed both students.

At the time, I didnt think too much about it, and although I did feel

badly for the student, in my mind, the student had only himself to blame.

During the past month or so, I have come to realize that I must accept

some of that blame. In a sense, I set him up to fail. Even though I devoted

several hours of class time to the practice business plan, he was often

absent. I knew that he was not doing well in the class and certainly did not

have the ability to complete the practice set on his own. I was aware that

he did not have access to a computer at home.


4/5

My first mistake was giving the ultimatumanyone caught cheating

would fail the course. My second mistake was not realizing my first mistake

so that I could provide some alternative for this student. In the grand

scheme of this students life, I know that a high school diploma will move

him farther along than completing a business plan. I should have assisted

him in any way possible.

This experience made me begin to realize that it is important to look

at life though other peoples eyes. When I was younger, I thought life was

pretty black-and-white. As I get older, I have come to realize that the

constructivists are rightit is in the eye of the beholder. I still feel it is

important for me to have a basic set of principles to live by and that as a

classroom teacher I must set standards for my students but I also realize

that it is important to create a classroom environment where students can

succeed.


5/5

With the exception of this incident, I feel that my overall teaching was

effective and appreciated. I received good evaluations from both the

Assistant Principal of Academics and the Principal.

hindsight is 20 reflection

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